


Found and Finding

by Writerleft



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Character Study, F/F, Korrasami - Freeform, Mostly Fluff, Vacation, but lots of serious talk too, cuteness, obviously
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-10
Updated: 2016-12-11
Packaged: 2018-08-07 22:54:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 21,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7732978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writerleft/pseuds/Writerleft
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Though neither would say it aloud, the Spirit World was just an excuse. What they really needed then was simply each other, and time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [March of Progress](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6996448) by [Writerleft](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writerleft/pseuds/Writerleft). 



> For those reading March of Progress, there is no new material here. But for those who don't feel like a serious and angsty series continuation story, but might enjoy the far lighter vacation flashbacks that begin every chapter, I decided to compile them here. 
> 
> Which is why it's all in italics. Because stressed words are non-italicized, and switching those without losing the stresses is kinda ridiculous, so enjoy romantic slanty text!

_Fanart courtesy of[parcosm-e](https://paracosm-e.tumblr.com/post/174699581084/this-drawing-is-from-the-first-chapter-of-the-fic)_

 

“ _Well,” Korra said, looking at the portal over the crater's edge. “There it is.”_

“ _There it is,” Asami agreed._

_Neither moved. Korra's stomach was in knots. She hadn't slept the night before, barely ate this morning. When she'd suggested this vacation, the idea had just popped into her head, it seemed so natural! She hadn't realized until after asking Asami to spend two weeks alone with her that... Asami would be spending two weeks. Alone. With her._

_What did it mean?! Did it have to mean anything? Was she going crazy?_

_Asami cleared her throat. “Korra...”_

_The Avatar blinked. “Yeah?”_

_Asami held her hands in front of her, looking away. “Nothing. I'm just... It's a little funny, isn't it?”_

_Funny? Had she noticed how tense Korra felt! Quick, she had to act smooth. “Funny? What's funny? Weird funny or ha-ha funny?” She laughed. Maybe a little too long. She tried to stop, but then she felt ridiculous and actually started laughing. Which only made her feel_ more _ridiculous, making her laugh harder and blush and more or less want to die._

“ _Are you... okay?” Asami asked._

_Korra composed herself, standing rigid. “Yes! Yes, more than okay. I've been looking forward to this, Asami, really I have. We should've done it sooner.”_

“ _You... just made the spirit portal three weeks ago.”_

“ _I mean gone on a vacation together!”_

“ _Oh.” Asami looked away again._

_Korra scratched the back of her neck, looking away herself. “Yeah...”_

“ _Korra, why...”_

_Asami stopped, and Korra turned her head back. The other woman seemed to be arguing with herself, unsure what to say. Had she screwed up that badly?_

“ _I've been looking forward to this too,” Asami said, finally. “I love spending all the time with you I can. Always.”_

_Korra's mouth opened, but she had no idea what to say to that._

_So Asami kept speaking. “It's just... I've been thinking. We both need this trip. Spirits know I need to get away from things for a little while. But Mako and Bolin have had pretty rough times, too, and you didn't want to invite them. And the city is still wrecked, and my company... there's so much to do. But we're going.”_

_Everything inside Korra went rigid, as if she was being bloodbent. Did Asami not want to do this? Did she not want—_

“ _And I'm glad we're going!” Asami rushed, fingers squeezing Korra's arm. “I am! I couldn't wait, I just... you wouldn't just do this, right now. Not with... everything. This vacation, just you and I. It's... not just about getting away, is it?”_

“ _I-I...”_

_Asami turned those sparkling jade eyes toward her, with a smile that melted Korra's insides in an instant. “I'm sorry I'm so nervous. I just... you're right. We should have done this ages ago.”_

_Korra reverted to manic laughter. “Nervous?” She managed. “You? Nervous?”_

_Asami's cheeks colored. “C'mon. Let's get moving.”_

_To be honest, Korra wasn't sure what had just happened. What did Asami have to be nervous about? She wasn't the one who was afraid that her best friend might see the two-week sojourn into the Spirit World as a romantic gesture! Worried that would ruin their friendship! Worried that she_ wanted _it to be romantic! So why was she analyzing everything for deeper meaning, blushing and awkward and—_

_And acting exactly like Korra felt._

_Oh._

Oh _._

_They paused for just a moment as the portal loomed above them, glancing at each other. Smiling. Warmth filled her, her heart fluttering like it wished to escape._

_They stepped into the light, hand-in-hand. Asami's eyes met her own, took hold of her, and pulled her through to another world. She was lost, inside those eyes._

_And found. Finally found._

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

__  
(Fanart by[lokicraftyson](https://lokicraftyson.tumblr.com/post/174737958388/she-wasnt-even-sure-what-shed-intended-asking))

 

_They collapsed beside each other after a long day of hiking and climbing. They'd gone so far and seen so much... probably. Asami honestly couldn't remember any of it. Most of the Spirit World she'd seen had been reflected in Korra's eyes. She didn't need to ration herself anymore, didn't need to look away before it got too intimate, didn't need to—”_

_“We're staring at each other again,” Korra said, her thumbs tracing a slow circle on the back of Asami's hands._

_“Mhm.”_

_Korra smiled. Oh, that smile. Three years ago, after Zaheer, she'd been afraid she'd never see it again. Even after Korra had returned, her smiles were... guarded. Hesitant. Like Korra was still hiding deep inside herself. Not eager to take on the world with the wild, willful abandon she'd had fresh out of the White Lotus compound._

_Asami felt herself smile, and couldn't think of the last time she'd felt this way, either._

_Korra_ liked _her. Actually LIKED her. In a non-platonic, fall-into-your-eyes kind of way. Neither of them had brought it up, given it a name, but... Her breath caught as she forced her mind to really accept this._ _She'd seen how society reacted when it found out somebody was_ that way _, she'd heard mutters, whispers, cruel laughter. The two girls who seemed so happy at boarding school, until one came back from a visit from her family..._

_She'd cut off her own explorations after that. What would her father have thought? What would the city, or her company, or... or her friends? Far easier to stay secluded than to risk ridicule. Far easier to be seen with boys, any boys at all, and ignore the appeal of the alternative...  
_

_How ridiculous. Acting like that. Thinking like that. She was_ Asami Sato _. Nobody got to tell her what was right for her. Nobody got to scare her away from herself. She needed to explore this, to understand it. Maybe the world would be cruel, but she'd seen her share of cruelty, and survived it. She could do this. She could have it. It was her right._

_And besides._

_This was_ Korra.

_"Can I touch you?” Asami asked, out of nowhere._

_Korra giggled. The Avatar. Giggled. Asami let out a ragged breath. “Sure,” Korra said._

_She wasn't even sure what she'd intended, asking. It's just... hands weren't enough. They'd held hands all day. There was so much..._

_Asami twined her fingers behind Korra's neck, the Avatar's short hair just brushing her thumbs. Their foreheads rested together. Asami closed her eyes._

_“Enjoying the trip so far?” Korra asked._

_Asami made a satisfied sound, small, deep in her throat. She was warm, all over, all through._

_“Yeah, this is... this is pretty nice.”_

_Another soft sigh._

_“Uh, Asami. Hard to have a conversation if only one of us is talking. And I really think we need to talk about... that is, we should figure out—”_

_She opened her eyes and pressed a single finger to Korra's lips. “Shh.”_

_Korra's lips were busy with Asami's after that._


	3. Chapter 3

_The second day of their trip, they remained where they'd camped the first night. They'd silently agreed that making out was a far higher priority than anything else the Spirit World had to offer. Their lips had three years’ worth of sighs to make up for. They went to bed exhausted and happy, but confident in the realization they had plenty of time, no need to rush._

_The third day, they returned to traveling. Korra kept Asami's hand in her own, and Asami finally seemed to realize they were in a whole other world. Her sketchbook came out. She took notes. Soil samples and leaves—once, with the permission of the bush she pulled the leaf from. Every time Korra got her attention, Asami smiled. Everywhere they walked, it was hand-in-hand. But Asami felt... distracted. Hair wafted into her lips as she took notes, graphite dust smeared on her cheek. Even when they had a whole world to themselves, Asami was off in another of her own. It was kinda cute._

_The fourth day, it became a problem. Asami would run off to investigate every little thing. Measuring wind patterns, estimating cloud elevation, measuring the angles of shadows. Korra knew Asami was_ _inquisitive, she loved watching her solve problems, but couldn't they be wrangling dragon-birds, tracking down Iroh for tea, having all sorts of adventures? Not..._

“ _What are you doing now?” Korra asked, as Asami was crouched, folding a piece of paper from her notebook around a ruler. Which she had, for some reason, packed. A ruler._

_Asami frowned as she pressed a crease. “Trying to rig a sextant. I didn't think to bring surveying equipment, but I want to know how tall that mountain over there is. The way elevation here changes feels strange, I was thinking maybe—”_

“ _Hold on hold on.” Korra knelt, taking hold of Asami's wrists. “This is getting crazy, Asami. We're supposed to be enjoying ourselves!”_

“ _It's just a few measurements,” Asami chuckled. “I'd kick myself later if I didn't get_ some _data.”_

“ _Sure, fine, but that's... That's like all you're doing!” She hadn’t meant it to sound like a pout._

_Asami leaned forward, pecking the tip of Korra's nose. “I'm sorry. You're right. But if you wanted my undivided attention, maybe we should've gone somewhere less...” Asami looked around, as if the Spirit World would provide her the word she was looking for. “Novel?”_

_Korra leaned forward to kiss her properly. “This isn't novel enough?”_

_Asami purred into her lips, and they spent the rest of the day in that spot. Exploring._

_But Asami was back inside her notebook when Korra woke up the next day. She wasn't even taking it out of her backpack—it lived in her hand, just waiting for her next observation._

_Finally, when Asami stopped to sketch a paw print on the ground, Korra earthbent herself a seat and sat in a huff. “Okay, 'sami. What's up with you?”_

“ _What...” she looked at the book. “Did I do it again?”_

“ _All. Day. What use is a paw print to you, anyway?”_

“ _I could estimate the size and weight of—”_

_Korra held up her hands. “I'm sure you could get all sorts of stuff out of it, but what is it for? I know you're super smart, I love that, but you can usually turn it off! This is supposed to be a vacation, but you spend all your time with your brow all furrowed and thinky like you're trying to rebuild a mecha-tank with only half the parts.”_

_Asami sighed. “Care to bend me some sitting room, too?”_

_The Avatar bent more width to her seat with a twitch of her shoulder. Asami sat carefully, hands pressed flat against the stone behind her._

“ _It's… you realize, this_ is _fun for me. Learning things. Investigating. Figuring out how things work. Besides, with the spirit portal now, Republic City will need even more care to integrate spirits into how it’s built.”_

_Korra crossed her arms, not buying it. “Uh huh.”_

_Asami leaned forward, clasping Korra’s hands between hers. “And I’m sorry for not paying more attention to you. Just… my mind likes to stay busy. There’s always so much to get done, that I sort of try to do everything at once, sometimes.”_

_She was a workaholic, Korra had to grant that. “Before, when we were tracking the airbenders? You spent all that time, training with me, talking with me. You never set down the airship to take measurements of the Earth Kingdom.”_

_The taller woman nodded slightly. “That was a good time, Korra. Until… it wasn’t.”_

“ _Until it wasn’t,” Korra agreed. “Point is, I don’t think it’s about the measurements. You’re probably logging everything you see in that flawless brain of yours to unpack later anyway.”_

_Asami chuckled. “It’s… I dunno Korra. You’re right, I do feel… off. I spent the whole last week getting everything in order so I could spend this time with you—in as much order as I could at least—but now… what am I doing?”_

“ _That’s sort of what I’m asking.”_

_She sighed, scooching away so she could rest her head on Korra’s shoulder. “I guess… it’s just… it’s easier to be distracted.”_

“ _Easier than what?”_

 _Black hair shifted as her head shook. “Easier than_ not _being distracted. I...”_

_Korra squeezed Asami’s hand._

_Asami closed her eyes. “If I... I can't...”_

_It clicked. Korra could have kicked herself for not seeing it days ago. A single hug and a single tear couldn’t have been enough. She smiled sadly, shifting to face Asami slightly so she could wrap an arm around her. Her other hand stayed wrapped in Asami’s.“When something’s bad in your life, you run and hide in your own head. Trust me, I know how that is. It’s a desolate place.”_

“ _My head is desolate?”_

“ _No, not your head! I meant, emotionally. I spent three years there.” Asami winced at that. Korra squeezed her shoulder, bringing her closer. “I just… I remember how quiet you got, when the whole Equalist thing was happening. Your smiles went away, you were always staring off, thinking.”_

_Asami sniffed. Korra paused. Should she stop? Was she pushing too hard?_

“ _I was… everything was just so out of control. My whole world collapsed, everything I knew… Everything I_ thought _I knew…”_

_Korra nodded._

“ _But it’s not like I threw myself into projects and ignored everyone. I sobbed myself to sleep at night, but I was right there, fighting with you. Then I had a company to rebuild and the trials to deal with and—”_

“ _Generally throwing yourself into anything you could, to claim some sort of control. To fix your own life. The way you held yourself together, it was… I can’t believe how strong you are, sometimes. You know that?”_

“ _I don’t feel strong. It helps, having you here. But…”_

“ _But what?”_

_Asami got quiet, drawing Korra’s hand to her chest. She ducked her head beneath Korra’s chin._

“ _You can say it, Asami.”_

“ _I just keep seeing it, again and again.” Asami's voice was strained. “That metal hand smashing down and just... even after everything, we'd just started to... And he’s just_ gone _, and I can’t fight that, I can’t fix it, I can’t rebuild a_ person. _I just… I just…”_

_Korra sniffed. “Asami, if you don't start crying soon, I will.”_

_Asami laughed, once. Then the sobs came._

 

_ _

_Fanart courtesy of[fableex](https://fableex.tumblr.com/post/174675397464/she-sighed-scooching-away-so-she-could-rest-her)_


	4. Chapter 4

_ _

_(Fanart courtesy of[moonshine-gravy](https://moonshine-gravy.tumblr.com/post/174601673576/soi-did-a-thing-this-is-a-korrasami-picture)_

 

_Asami finished changing, at the same time both satisfied with her foresight in bringing a swimsuit, while secretly wishing she hadn’t. After all, Korra was comfortable enough taking a dip in her bindings and underthings..._

_The engineer blushed at the thought. Korra had been adorably proper about it, earthbending Asami a little changing room_ _and making plenty of noise so Asami knew she wasn’t peeking. She was of two minds about that, too. It wasn’t the first time she was aware somebody was attracted to her—Asami knew she was pretty, and worked hard to remain so. It wasn’t even the first time a woman had been the one stealing looks. And none of them would she have been happy watching her change._

 _But this was_ Korra _._

_Oh, she’d still have been mad if Korra saw her. This all felt too big and important to rush. Yet part of her was eager. Desperate. Well, you’ve seen mine, Avatar, now show me yours…_

_She leaned into the wall, bonking her head against it repeatedly. Stop, Asami. Stop. You’re not like this. You’re dignified. You’re poised. You’re classy._

_“You okay in there?” Korra asked, her voice echoing through the trees._

_Asami cleared her throat. “Yeah, coming right out.” She closed her eyes, took a breath. Dignified. Poised. Classy._

_She stepped out of the earth-hut, saw Korra half-undressed, and tripped immediately._

_Good work, Sato._

_Korra was smirking as Asami regained her balance. “Still can’t believe you brought swimwear. How big is that backpack of yours, anyway?”_

_“I admit, I had to pack efficiently,” Asami said, striding to Korra then following her to the rocky outcropping overlooking the water. “You’re sure this lake is safe?”_

_“Nope!” Korra said, leaping into the air then meteoring right in._

_The resultant wave rose twenty feet high. Asami yelped uselessly, hands covering her head as it drenched her. Dripping already, she toed toward the side, until she saw a smug Avatar grinning from the water below._

_“Dad taught me that one,” she said. “In_ much _colder water, I might add.”_

_“Remind me to thank him,” Asami said flatly, spitting hair from her mouth and shivering._

_Korra laughed. “Well, either get in or get used to me staring at you. At the moment I’m fine with either.”_

_Asami turned, hiding a blush as she gave herself distance from the side. A centering breath, a few long strides, and she arced through the air, pivoting perfectly, entering the water with barely a ripple._

_She loved to swim. It was great exercise, and wonderfully relaxing. She’d taken to water at a young age, and had won a few medals in her boarding school’s swim team. But as practiced and graceful as she was in the water, Korra_ lived _there. The water welcomed her like a long lost friend. Korra won every impromptu race, every dive. Did the woman have to be so great at everything?_

_“No!” Asami laughed as Korra’s paddling hands overwhelmed her own splashing. “Spirits, Korra, you don’t have to keep showing off your Avatar prowess. Give a girl a chance!”_

_“Sorry, ‘sami,” Korra shrugged. “I haven’t been waterbending since I dove in.”_

_Asami regarded her flatly. “Seriously.”_

_“Really!” Korra held up her hands defensively, and sank to her nose with a sputter._

_Asami rolled her eyes, swimming closer. “Which of your parents is an ocean spirit, then?”_

_Korra cooed into the incoming kiss, guiding them toward shallower water where they could keep their feet on the ground. “Swimming has always been a big deal for me. Dad and I bonded over waterbending, but mom mostly knew the traditional healing stuff, and once I had Katara to learn from…” Korra shrugged. “But swimming! Oh, my mom is such a great swimmer, Asami. Dad always joked he needed a boat and a strong wind to catch her. We’d spend hours in the water, chasing otter-seals, diving for arctic shells. Honestly, the first time I could swim again, really swim again after I got hurt, felt better than the first time I ran.”_

_Asami squeezed Korra’s hand beneath the water, resting her head on Korra’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”_

_Korra turned her head toward her, frowning. “Sorry? What for?”_

_“You were all alone down there. I should’ve… I never visited.”_

_“I would have been lousy company,” Korra said, bitterly. “Besides, it’s not like I ever asked.”_

_“Not in words,” Asami said. Certainly not in words. She definitely would have noticed an invitation in the single letter Korra had sent—she read it enough times. “But I knew how alone you were. Knew how much you were hurting. And it hurt me, not being able to… not being_ there _.”_

 _Korra turned away. “How could you have known how alone I was? My parents were_ _with me the whole time, and they didn’t know. Not really.”_

 _“They did,” Asami said. She felt Korra roll her eyes, growing uncomfortable, maybe not believing her. “They_ did _, Korra. I know they did.”_

_Korra scoffed. “How? You’ve only met them a few times. You weren’t there.”_

_Asami took a breath. As much as Korra had never asked her to come, it sounded like she’d wanted it anyway. It would have been so easy to hop on one of her ships… “I wrote you every week, Korra. Sometimes more than once. In all that time with no reply, do you really think I never thought to send a letter to your parents as well? They had the same address, after all.”_

_That got her attention. “You… they never said anything!”_

_“They didn’t know what to say. You kept them at such a distance, Korra. Senna would have done anything to see you happy, to see you better. She even…” Asami took a breath. “She even sort of suggested I come visit.”_

_“She… when?”_

_“Not long before you sent your letter, actually. Not long before you left.”_

_Their hands were still clasped beneath the water, but neither of them seemed to move. Korra stared into the lake, not responding. And what did Asami Sato do when Korra didn’t respond?_

_Kept talking._

_“It wasn’t a direct invitation. It was more of… oh what were her words? ‘Korra really misses you and all her friends,’ in one letter, ‘I saw a Future Industries ship in port,’ randomly thrown into another. She… I don’t think she felt like she could just ask. I would have, if she did. I almost came anyway, Korra, so many times! I’m… I really wish I had. I’m sorry.”_

_“Did… you only keep writing because mom asked you to?”_

_“What? No, Korra, I would’ve written you every week until I was old and gray even if she asked me to_ stop _. But she didn’t know what you wanted, and I certainly didn’t know, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t have—”_

_Korra’s hands suddenly clasped the sides of Asami’s head, holding her steady for a forceful, sobbing kiss. She straightened Asami’s hair between snuffling breaths._

_“Are you really…” she choked, “trying to apologize… for being the sweetest, most perfect…”_

_Her voice strained out. Asami ran her hands down Korra’s back, embracing her._

_“Getting all of this… this pain out,” Asami said after a long moment, “we needed this, both of us. But let’s not get in a habit of ending all our days with crying, okay?”_

_Korra laughed, and kissed her hard._

_THAT was a habit she could stand to fall into._


	5. Chapter 5

_It seemed like every time she or someone she knew had come to the Spirit World, they’d just_ bumped into _Iroh while looking desperately for something else. But now that she was actually_ looking _for the man—or his spirit or whatever he was—he was nowhere to be found? Typical spirit-world annoyingness._

“ _Is that… yeah, that’s the first building I’ve seen here,” Asami said, squinting upward. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that it’s built upside-down from trees.”_

_The engineer sounded almost disgusted at all the ways that sentence violated physics. “Won Xi Tong’s library,” Korra explained. “He’s always been quite the recluse, I hear.”_

_Korra craned her neck up to look at the huge, stately building, and sighed. Every time she’d run into Iroh by accident, he’d told her what she needed to know. The Spirit World gave her what she needed, not what she wanted. So apparently, she needed to be here. “Hey, mind if I do an errand?”_

“ _Does that ‘errand’ have any potential of letting me browse a library of ancient knowledge?”_

“ _Um… well I suppose it might. Though I didn’t think ‘ancient’ knowledge was your thing, Miss Future Industries.”_

_Asami smirked. “Maybe not. But you never know what tidbit will be useful later.”_

_Korra nodded. They both stared up._

“ _So,” Asami continued, “How do we get up there? There’s nowhere to climb.”_

_The trees and spirit vines that held the library up were huge, and often too sheer to scale. As they watched, however, one of Won Xi Tong’s spirit foxes trotted along the forest floor, a scroll in its mouth. Without breaking stride, it set a paw on the side of a tree and trotted right up it._

_They jogged over to the spot it had climbed. Asami ran her fingers along the tree, frowning at it._

_Korra didn’t think about it. The fox walked up, so she could to. She rested her foot on the tree, leaned back, and imagined the tree as_ down _._

_She took another step. Then another. “Hah, how ‘bout that!”_

_Asami looked at her, their faces close but perpendicular. The engineer hadn’t looked so surprised since they’d first seen Bumi airbend._

“ _Coming, Miss Sato?” Korra asked, holding out her elbow._

“ _Um… nope.” Asami said, looking up the tree, then beneath Korra—_

 _Her footing wobbled._ Behind _her, Asami was looking_ behind _her. “C’mon, Asami. Get on the ground, you’re disorienting me.”_

_Asami knelt, waving her hands between Korra and the forest… wall. She bit her lip._

“ _Hey,” Korra said, cupping Asami’s cheek. She gently guided Asami to her feet, bringing the engineer into a kiss. Korra’s arms wrapped around her as the kiss deepened, in spite of the odd angle of both of their necks. She dug her fingers into the base of Asami’s scalp, at just a spot the taller woman found most… distracting._

_Asami moaned, closing her eyes._

_Korra swept her off her feet. Without breaking the kiss, she brought Asami into a tight, heated embrace, before setting her down with a grin._

_Asami blinked, breathless. “Well. Wow, that was… I’m standing on the tree, now, aren’t I?”_

_Korra held Asami’s shoulders, bracing herself against the wallward lurch. “So the world moved for you too, then?”_

_Asami snorted, then covered her face, blushing at the sound. Korra just kissed her again. “You are beyond adorable. Now let’s walk along this tree which is definitely the ground, okay?_

“ _Okay,” Asami said, biting her lip but walking with her. “You know I’ll follow you anywhere.”_

 

_ _

_(Fanart courtesy of[gwendraws](https://gwendraws.tumblr.com/post/174903710241/you-know-ill-follow-you-anywhere-found-and)) _

 

_Given the strangeness of their approach, entering the library was quite easy. And noticed immediately._

“ _Why have I done to deserve these constant unwanted interruptions?” the spirit owl boomed, wings threatening to envelop the two of them. Asami took a ready stance—prepared to fight or flee, awaiting Korra’s cue._

_Instead, Korra knelt._

“ _Great Won Xi Tong,” she said, head bowed. “I am the Avatar. I have come to apologize.”_

“ _Apologize?!” the spirit bristled._

_Korra nodded, firmly. “My past life, Aang, took advantage of your trust. On his behalf, as his inheritor, I seek to make amends.”_

“ _Foolish Avatar!” If anything, that had made Won Xi Tong angrier. “Aang’s trespass was but the final grain of sand atop a mountain.” His head snapped down, his beak gnashing inches from Korra’s face. “For centuries, men came to my library, and always the story was the same. You come now to apologize, but what do you hope to gain if I accept it?” The spirits claws cracked into the stonework beneath them. “Who are you trying to defeat?”_

_Korra steeled herself, kept any anger or sarcasm from her voice. “Nobody, great Won Xi Tong. I'll leave as soon as this conversation is over. I’m still young, and my time in the world has been short, but I have learned that consequences of one bad decision can echo across lifetimes. I am sorry for the betrayal and pain you have felt from Avatars past, and from all humans, but I do not expect to erase that memory from you.”_

“ _That is… wise. Perhaps you are not as unreasonable as I have been lead to believe. Or perhaps this, too, is a ruse?”_

 _Now she_ really _had to try to keep sarcasm out of her voice. “What? No, not at all, great Won—”_

_The owl slithered through the air, neck stretched out to encircle Asami. “Who have you brought with you this time, Avatar?”_

_Korra’s eyes went wide, but she didn’t move. What could she do? Anything she did to protect Asami would only put her in greater danger. “My name is Asami. Asami Sato.”_

_Won Xi Tong’s eyes narrowed. “Perhaps the Avatar plays at contrition, while her friend seeks to take advantage. Another tiresome story.”_

_Asami bowed, with ten times the grace Korra could have managed. Her hair hung to one side of her face, masking it. “Quite the opposite. Several years ago, you encountered a girl named Jinora.”_

_What was she_ doing _? Don’t remind him he was helping Unalaq!_

“ _I did,” Won Xi Tong said._

_Asami let out a quavering breath. Korra was holding hers. “She told us, after, that you had been… misinformed, about the way radios worked.”_

_Won Xi Tong continued glaring, but turned his gaze to the side, down a hallway. In the distance, soft enough to almost be imagined, came a dog-like whine._

“ _There have been countless scientific advances in the decades since you buried your library,” Asami continued, “Not to mention more novels and histories are being published now than ever before, and I’m quite certain you don’t have any movers yet.”_

“ _Movers?” the spirit quirked his head._

“ _Republic City has a spirit portal now,” Asami said. “Humans can enter the Spirit World as they please. We came peacefully, but others may be as you fear.”_

_Korra bit her lip. Won Xi Tong was incredibly powerful, and this was his home—Korra didn’t know if she could take him, but she trembled to think what would happen if he struck Asami before she could act._

“ _However, they may not if some of your knowledge was available elsewhere. I happen to finance our library system. If you would like to send some of your foxes, I can arrange for the library to loan you books. Perhaps you could exchange them—temporarily—with works from your own collection that you believe would be of scholarly value. As you chose, of course—no knowledge would leave your library without your consent, whereas the scholars in our libraries and universities would be more than happy to exchange our new learning for your ancient knowledge.”_

“ _Hmm. And is there some ancient knowledge Asami Sato was searching for?”_

“ _None,” Asami said firmly. “Though, if I may be so bold as to offer one modern observation… ‘He Who Knows Ten-Thousand Things’ does not sound nearly as impressive as it once did.”_

_An eerie, rhythmic sound came from the owl spirit, that made Korra’s hair stand on end. She realized, after a moment, it was a laugh. “Know that I will never again allow humans within these walls. But I accept your apology, Avatar. And your offer, Miss Sato. Now leave.”_

_Korra let out her breath, almost collapsing to the floor._

“ _Of course,” Asami said, helping Korra rise. “Thank you.”_

_Won Xi Tong nodded, watching them depart. Korra’s heart thundered as Asami wrapped her arm about her waist, finally letting herself to tremble at the owl spirit’s anger, at everything that could have gone wrong. She should never have brought Asami into that! What had she been thinking?!_

_Granted, Asami had been_ amazing _. There’s no way Korra could have made Won Xi Tong as happy—or at least, as much less_ un _happy as Asami had._

_As the reached the base of the tree, Asami chuckled, her eye glinting, then ducked low to hoist Korra into her arms._

_The Avatar yelped, laughing, her arm encircling Asami’s neck._

“ _Spirits, this seemed like a better idea before I realized how heavy you are!”_

“ _You_ like _all the muscle.”_

“ _That I do,” Asami strained, trying to smile while her arms shook. “Now how do I step back onto the ground?”_

_They fell the last two feet in a heap._

_Then they laughed until they couldn’t breathe._

“ _Well,” Asami finally said, rolling onto her backside and straightening her hair. “Any more Avatar errands?”_

_Korra flopped onto her back, still chuckling. “No ma’am. And… thank you.”_

“ _What for?”_

“ _Being here. Just… being. The world is better with Asami in it.”_

_In spite of the knobby forest floor, Asami wriggled down beside her. “Likewise.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was split across two chapters in March of Progress proper, but was taking up too much real-estate there, and worked better in half for pacing reasons.


	6. Chapter 6

_Asami’s eyes fluttered open. They were still snuggled up beside each other, leaning back against a tree where they’d stopped for a short rest. She didn’t remember falling asleep, and there was no way to tell how long she’d been out. All she knew was she felt rested. Propped up against a tree with Korra was far more comfortable than the most luxurious mattress money could buy._

_As sore as her muscles were, Korra quieted her mind._

_Nightmares had not troubled her since they’d arrived._

“ _You awake?” Korra asked softly._

“ _Will we have to move if I am?”_

“ _No… but I would like to reposition my legs a little, maybe.”_

_Asami chuckled, shifting her weight while Korra tucked her legs in. Asami was still half-groggy and her back needed a change, so she scooted down to lay her head in Korra’s lap. “Hello,” she said._

“ _Hi,” Korra smiled down, running her fingers through Asami’s hair._

_Asami closed her eyes, going limp. “Mmmhm…”_

_Korra laughed, massaging her scalp “Oh, you enjoy that?”_

“ _Muhmmmhmm.”_

“ _At last, I’ve found your weakness. I vow, I shall use this power only to do good.”_

_Asami had turned into a woman-shaped puddle. She didn’t have the energy even to mutter. Korra’s touch, her fingers in her hair, petting her softly, lovingly… It was intimate, in a way even their kissing wasn’t. Her legs, her arms, all her body fell away. All that was left, all she was, was the skin beneath Korra’s fingers. And she could tell, she could feel, that that was the only thing in the world that mattered to Korra._

_How long since she had felt this way?_

_Had she ever?_

_Not with Mako. Not with any of the other boys. Not with any of the girls, either, halting and nervous as that had been._

_An image came, fuzzy, more forgotten than remembered: her mother. She had lain like this, her head in Yasuko’s lap, her mother petting her and reading a story, singing a song, talking to her father as he worked._

_Korra’s fingers lifted._

“ _Don’t stop,” Asami whispered._

“ _You’re frowning.” Still, Korra did as she asked._

_Asami felt the frown. Why? Because she’d missed her mother? The image didn’t come with pain, anymore. It had been so long, so distant. She thought of her mother, now and felt only… regret. Wistfulness, even. Something she’d lost. Something she might have had. If the world was fair._

_Korra’s fingers felt wonderful. Not thrilling, not exciting. Calm and loving and_ there _._

_Why was she frowning?_

“ _Is there something else I should be doing?” Korra asked._

_Asami shook her head, weakly._

_Korra’s fingers continued gliding through her hair. “Okay.” She sounded a trifle confused, but patient. Willing to sit there all day and pet Asami’s hair if she wanted it._

_She had never had this._

_Nobody she’d been with, never had she had someone who would just… touch her. Hold her. With no end in mind, with no goal or aim other than to make her feel nice._

_Three years ago, she’d knelt by Korra’s side. She’d taken her hand. She’d offered to be there, if Korra needed to talk. Or anything. She’d known by then she was in love, her heart broke every time she’d seen her shattered friend. She’d have done anything for her. She’d have left her company. She’d have tended her and nursed her to health. She’d have climbed into the sky and plucked down the moon and the stars for her if it would have made Korra better._

_But what she’d wanted to give was this._

_She’d wanted Korra to know,_ needed _Korra to know, that somebody was there. Somebody cared, somebody was with her. She wasn’t alone._

_Korra hadn’t been ready to hear it._

_Maybe… maybe Asami hadn’t realized how ready_ she _had been? She wanted to give that to Korra so much, because that was what she needed herself?_

“ _I tried to date,” Asami said._

“ _Um… okay.” Korra’s fingers continued._

_Asami wasn’t sure where she was going, why she was saying it this way. She just knew she had to. “You were gone a long time. I didn’t know when you were coming back, or if you were… if you even felt for me like I did for you. You were gone a long time.”_

“ _It’s alright, Asami. You don’t need to explain.”_

_Asami sighed. She was no longer relaxed, but the fingers stroking her hair… they were enough. Enough to continue. “I wasn’t very good at it. I’ve never been very good. Nobody ever saw me. Not really. Nobody understood. Nobody did… this.”_

“ _You were lonely.”_

 _The simple phrase cracked something inside her. She’d danced around the thought for so long. Mom, dead. Father, distant. Long empty hallways in the mansion, no siblings, no playmates. Private boarding school, top of her class. Youngest CEO in the business world, daughter of a traitor, shunned for her parentage, set apart by her success. “I think… I think maybe I’ve_ always _been lonely.”_

_Korra’s other hand cradled her cheek as she bent down to kiss her. “So was I.”_

_Was._

_The word flowed through those cracks, filling her up. Mending her. Binding her._

_Asami wasn’t alone anymore._

_Asami wasn’t alone._

_The frown was gone. Overwhelmed._

“ _That,” Asami said, locking eyes on Korra’s upside-down face, “was exactly the right thing to say.”_

_Korra smiled. “Well. First time for everything.”_


	7. Chapter 7

_ _

_(Fanart courtesy of[swamp-jello](http://swamp-jello.tumblr.com/post/174633941298/a-doodle-of-love-for-threehoursfromtroy-thank))_

__  
  
Asami walked several paces behind Korra, letting the Avatar guide her through the swampy terrain. The ground here was far too uneven to walk side by side, much less hold hands.

 _Besides, from a little distance, Asami could_ watch _. The firm movements of Korra’s legs, the flexing muscles on her bare arms… She didn’t have to subsist off stolen glances anymore. She was allowed to look, and she did so. Often._

_Korra turned to check on her. Asami smiled. Sometimes it was like this—no words needed to be said. Just a look, a smile, reassurance._

_They passed a dense copse of trees, and Asami frowned. Something wasn’t right. She backed up a step, watching the swamp to her right… yes, the view between those two trees was different. The light fell a different way, the angles were odd…_

_She knew she’d promised not to get too distracted by the Spirit World’s oddities, but this… localized topographical anomaly, might be a good term. Far too interesting to pass up. If the polar portal trade route she and Tonraq had been building worked out, there would be demand for a route to the Republic City portal as well. Understanding the strange tricks the Spirit World played would be the first step toward making that work, and cutting_ that _distance would be invaluable._

“ _Asami?” Korra asked, ahead of her._

“ _Just a minute,” Asami said, stepping between the trees into the odd light._

_The swamp was gone—now she was in a light forest, the tall, thin trees arrayed geometrically. Fruit hung low from the outer, umbrella-like branches, the edges of each tree nearly kissing the ones beside it._

“ _Hey, you!” someone said below her._

“ _Oh!” She jumped, a hand on her chest from startlement. A pudgy spirit stood by her feet, barely as tall as her boots. Flowers grew on its back, and its arms were too short to reach each other. “Hello.”_

“ _You’re big!” the spirit said, pointing up at her._

_Asami laughed. Tall as she was, this was more of a height disparity than she was used to. “So I am. Your flowers are very pretty.”_

“ _Pretty!?” the spirit rested its hands on its sides. “They’re red! That’s fierce!”_

_Asami knelt, snickering. “Well, red is my color too. People say I’m pretty. But I’m also very strong and fierce myself. Nothing says you can't be both.”_

“ _Hmf.” The spirit seemed mostly placated by that._

“ _Do you have a name?” she reached her hand out. “I’m Asami.”_

_The spirit’s eyes lit up. “I’m Asami too!”_

_She giggled. Perhaps it didn’t understand the idea of names. Or it would mimic whoever it talked to. “Well, that sounds like it might be confusing, Asami.”_

_Little-Asami frowned. “I don’t think so. I wouldn’t confuse you for me. You’re big.”_

“ _I meant for other people. Right, Korr…” Asami looked around, frowning. She’d only taken a few steps, but the path to the swamp was nowhere to be seen. Korra had been right there, she had to have heard her! “Korra?”_

“ _Who are you talking to?” the spirit asked._

“ _My… friend. She was right there with me. I…” She rose quickly, then took a step back and stopped._

_She was lost in the Spirit World._

_The rules made no sense. Topography, weather, everything and anything could betray her._

_She had to be smart about this. Asami had no idea where she was, in relation to Korra or any of the spirit portals. The portals would not come to her. But Korra would not rest until she’d found her._

_Right now, she seemed safe enough. The best thing to do, logically, would be to stay put. Maybe try to get a message to Korra, but otherwise, make sure not to get hurt._

“ _Asami?” the spirit asked._

“ _Yeah?” she answered absently, licking her lips, contemplating what she could do._

“ _You’re big!”_

_That was getting a little annoying. “Yes, I’m…” the spirit was looking up, expectation in it’s big eyes. It was pointing, not at her, but just above her. “You… want some of the fruit? From the tree.”_

_Little Asami nodded._

_Asami shrugged, reaching up. Before touching the round, blue fruit, she paused. “Um… tree? I don’t want to make any assumptions here. Is taking this fruit going to bother you?”_

_The tree did not answer._

“ _Why are you being so polite?” the spirit asked. “The trees are mean, holding the fruit so high!” It shook it's little hands at them, its flowery brow furrowing._

_Asami plucked a fruit down, glancing at the tree as she did. It acted like a normal tree, which is to say it didn’t respond at all. She let out a breath, and handed the fruit down. “Here you go.”_

_Little Asami’s hands were barely able to touch both sides of it. “Wow!”_

“ _Wow?” a little voice asked, behind the tree._

“ _Wow?” asked three more, identical spirits peeking out as well._

_Soon enough, a whole chorus of ‘Wow?’s flooded over her as an entire platoon of tiny spirits surrounded her. She couldn’t take a step for fear of crushing one._

“ _You’re big!” one of them observed._

“ _You’re big!” repeated another._

“ _Uh…” her voice quavered as they began to jostle against her legs. She shimmied back toward the tree as they grabbed on to her boots, climbed atop each other, pawed at her pants…_

_Asami ignored her own distress, dispassionately assessing her surroundings. She judged a few distances, wound herself up, and trusted her body to do what she needed it to. Bounding backwards and shaking the grabby spirits off, she spun in the air, feet impacting on the tree trunk long enough for her to kick off and up, grabbing hold of a tree branch._

“ _Wow!” one of the Little Asami’s called up after her as she pulled herself up._

“ _Wow!” “Wow!” “Wow!”_

_As soon as she was certain the tree would hold her weight, she found a crook between two larger branches._

_She needed to think._  
  
  
  
(Fanart courtesy of [foxscar](https://foxscar.tumblr.com/post/174847473322/for-threehoursfromtroy-from-her-fanfiction-found))


	8. Chapter 8

“ _Asami!” Korra shouted, tearing past gnarled tree and jagged root, stomping and sloshing and frantic. It had been hours since Korra had seen her vanish behind a tree, and she was ready to rip the swamp apart._

 _She couldn’t have lost her. How could she have lost her? Asami was right_ there _, then she wasn’t, and—_

_Korra bent over, hands on her knees, trembling. Breath was coming hard._

_Okay, okay. She hadn’t been taken, nothing had attacked her. Asami was just lost. Alone. In the Spirit World._

_Tears fell at Korra's feet._

_This was no good. She couldn't rescue Asami if she was panicking. Wherever she was,_ Asami _certainly wasn't panicking. She'd be doing the absolutely smartest, most logical thing she could. That didn't always work out in the Spirit World, but they'd been there a week. She probably had notes in that little notebook, plenty of things to keep her safe._

_She bit her lip, wiping her face. She had to stay calm. Asami was okay. The alternative was unthinkable, so she wouldn't think about it. She needed to focus. She needed..._

_She needed a guide._

_Iroh would be best, but had been stubbornly hard to find. If she peeved a spirit off enough, they might take her to the Fog of Lost Souls, but that would hardly improve her situation. She could find her way to Koh, perhaps, but she seriously doubted she could keep emotion from her face right now._

_Rising mostly upright, Korra reached an arm out, leaning against a gnarled tree._

_She blinked._

_The tree! She was able to tap into spirit vines, to track things down in Republic City, or in Toph's swamp. Why wouldn't that work here? She closed her eyes, felt the bark against her skin, and let her spirit look._

_Her mind reeled away, recoiling immediately from the explosion of light and sound and chaos. She clasped her hands to her head, groaning. It had worked, all right: too well. Trying to search through spiritual energy here was like listening closely for a whisper and hearing a train crash instead._

_Korra wobbled onto her rear end, shaking her head to clear it. Growling, she bent up a hunk of earth and lobbed it at the tree, splattering it with mud._

“ _It's not the tree's fault, you know,” a little voice said above her._

_She jumped, bracing her arms behind her. “Who's there?”_

_A little yellow face peered down from a low branch, above her. It was a pudgy spirit, with leaves for ears._

“ _Hey...” she said. “You're the spirit who helped me before, right?”_

_It shook its... well it didn't have a head distinct from its body, but its face moved side to side at least. “That was another light spirit. There's more than a few of us, you know!”_

_That seemed reasonable enough. “Light spirit... are you guys related to Raava, then? Are we like, cousins, or something?”_

_The spirit's face turned sideways. “There's more than one light in the world, too.”_

_Well okay then. “My friend is missing. There might be more than one light in the world, but there's only one Asami. Can you help me find her?”_

“ _Um...” the spirit looked around. “Nope. Don't see her.”_

_Korra shouted in frustration, falling onto her back. “What am I going to do?”_

“ _Well... how did you find her in the first place?”_

“ _I didn't. She found me.”_

“ _Well, then maybe she'll find you this time!”_

“ _I... doubt that.” The Spirit World was fickle and mysterious, and prone to coincidence when it felt symbolic enough, but that just didn't feel likely. “Maybe I'm looking at this wrong. Instead of trying to figure out where she is, maybe I need to figure out why she vanished.”_

“ _That seems reasonable enough.”_

_Korra frowned up at the spirit. “Why'd you say that?”_

“ _Because it seemed reasonable enough.”_

“ _I mean... that exact thing. I just thought that a minute ago.”_

“ _Well okay then.”_

“ _And that, too! Can you read my mind?”_

_The spirit giggled. “No. I'm not inside you.”_

_But Raava was. The biggest light spirit of them all._

_She sat up quickly, taking the Lotus position, fists pressed together. She calmed her mind—as well as she could. Enough, at least. “Raava? Raava, are you there?”_

“ _I am always here, Avatar. You wish to know why you cannot find your partner?”_

_Partner. “Yes. She could be drowning or being eaten by eagle sharks or—”_

“ _You cannot find her now for the same reason you could not find her before.”_

“ _Before? Before when?”_

“ _While you were lost, Korra. You went looking for yourself, but she already knew you. If you had found her then, she could have helped.”_

“ _I wasn't... I wasn't ready, then. I was still hurt, still—”_

“ _That would not have mattered to her. You know that.”_

“ _It mattered to me! I couldn't be with her, I couldn't be out in the world, I couldn't be_ myself _! She... she didn't deserve to be saddled with that.”_

“ _What about what you deserve, Korra?”_

“ _What I deserve?”_

“ _You have fought hard and you have sacrificed much.”_

“ _I'm the Avatar. That's my job.”_

“ _You are more than the Avatar. You are Korra. So few people in your life truly understand that. Cherish those that do.”_

“ _I do. Raava, I do! That's why I need to find her!”_

“ _Then do not focus on the pain you have felt. Do not dwell on the separation you feel. Admit to yourself that you are strong, that you are deserving. That no matter how hard your life has been, you are truly worthy of happiness. If you can accept that, then perhaps it will stop alluding you.”_

“ _I'm..._ I'm _keeping Asami away?”_

“ _You did for three years. You didn't feel worthy of her. Did that make her happier?”_

_Korra remembered all of Asami's confessions, how guilty she'd been for not visiting, how lonely she had felt without her. “No. No it didn't.”_

_Raava's warmth grew within her, comforting. “And how does she make you feel?”_

“ _Warm. Hot, sometimes. And... special. I mean, I'm the Avatar, I've always been special, but when she looks at me, and smiles, like all the rest of the world doesn't matter...”_

“ _Loving the Avatar is a difficult thing. You need a partner who does not simply love you, but loves you enough to help you love yourself. If Asami is that person, Korra, think of her smile, focus on how she makes you feel. And accept that you deserve it.”_

_Korra thought of Asami's smile, her lips. Her laugh. The care and joy and boundless support that always flowed from every little glance. She fell in love._

_Then she fell._

“ _Aah!” she had time to shout before flopping to the ground. Her poor backside was taking far too much abuse today._

_She wasn't in the swamp anymore. The trees around her were straight, spaced far too evenly, except for the big bush too her side. Wait, no, not a bush... it was the top of one of the trees. And it was making an awful lot of noise._

_Korra got to her feet, creeping around it. Little figures clambered along it's branches, into the nearby trees that were still upright. One of them looked down at her, holding a twig. “Big!” it said, tapping its chest with its tiny hand._

“ _Uh, you sure are,” Korra agreed. The spirit bounced happily, carrying the twig off._

_The canopy of the felled tree began to thin, so that Korra could peer through the leaves. There was Asami, sitting on the trunk, a circle of flowers in her hair. Hundreds of the little flower-backed spirits milled about her, gathering sticks and twigs and rolling around happy with fruit as big as they were. Asami sat there, a look of concentration on her face as she twisted slender sticks into a wide mesh._

“ _If you make them just like this, you can make ladders to get into the other trees,” she was explaining. “Once up there, you could weave yourself platforms, either to store your fruit or maybe just stay up there all the time. There are plenty of architectural possibilities once you... Korra?”_

_She stepped out from behind the leaves, covering her mouth. The little spirits parted as her feet brought her haltingly closer to Asami._

“ _You're okay?” Korra managed._

_Asami nodded slightly, touching the flowers in her hair. “They wanted the fruits, but they weren't big enough to get them. So I thought, while I waited for you, I might make it so—”_

_Korra reached her, pushed her hair back from her face._

_Their eyes met._

_She clasped Asami's hands. “I'm never letting go of these again, you realize that.”_

_Asami laughed. “Sorry if I scared you. I didn't realize what had happened, then I just—”_

_Korra kissed her softly, eyes closed. Warm inside._

_Around them, a hundred little voices chittered, “Wow!”_

_Korra chuckled. “Agreed.”_

 

_ _

_ _

_Fanart courtesy of[edenthoang](http://edenthoang.tumblr.com/post/174691764058/the-canopy-of-the-felled-tree-began-to-thin-so)_


	9. Chapter 9

_It was an old nightmare, its trajectory worn deep into her psyche from years of repetition. Even recognizing it as a nightmare was no comfort, provided no escape._

_It always proceeded the same way._

_Zaheer loomed overhead, swooping silently through the air. Monstrous in intent, yet even within her dream still human. Still flesh and blood._

_That made it worse._

_The nightmare never went away. Not completely. These last few nights, with warmth pressed against her, had been the only peace she'd had in years. She'd searched for it, for anything that could end this nightly torture, but all the time she'd known what it would take to overcome the flashes from that day._

_The worst day in a life of terrible days. For three years, it had haunted her. She was on the ground,_

_useless,_

_impotent,_

_the insane airbender_

_floating above her,_

_murdering the woman she loved._

_High up atop a column of earth, far beyond Asami's reach, Zaheer pulled Korra's breath from her lungs, the very life flashing out of Korra's eyes while Asami reached up, unable to stop him, unable to scream, unable to move. Already on her knees, Korra swayed, and fell, and—_

_Asami stifled a groan, opening her eyes, quickly wakened by the never-setting sun. Even after years, that nightmare had never stopped—though now, sometimes, Zaheer was joined by Kuvira, or her mecha-suit. Sometimes her father was there, in Korra's place, or at Korra's side. Or in place of Zaheer. Compared to that, simply reliving the most powerless, terrifying moment of her life as it had happened was almost welcome._

_Sometimes, it ended as it had. Korra, broken and weak in her father's arms, reaching up, then fading away. Sometimes, Asami held her herself. Sometimes it was Hiroshi—her dreams were still trying to figure out what to think about him. But every time, the dream ended with Korra's reaching hand, losing the last of its strength._

_Nearly every time she slept, she had to watch Korra die._

_The sleeping bag was open, and mostly kicked away. Korra wasn't with her, but she hadn't gone far—she was squatting at the edge of the camp, hugging her knees, watching the too-blue river snake through crystalline fields below._

_Asami shuffled up beside her, resting a hand on Korra's shoulder as she crouched herself. “You okay?”_

_Korra responded with a noncommittal grunt._

_She sat the rest of the way down, resting her head on Korra's shoulder. “Thanks for rescuing me today, by the way.” She ran the back of her fingers up Korra's arm. “I'm not sure if I said that.”_

“ _You seemed to be doing alright by yourself. You were practically building a city for those little guys. Guess I shouldn't have worried.”_

“ _I worry about you all the time. It's kind of flattering to know you worry back.” She smiled, but Korra just sighed, still not looking at her. “Seriously, what's wrong?”_

“ _Nothing. I just... I wonder what would've happened if you were a year younger.”_

“ _What do you mean? You saying I'm too old for you?” she teased._

_The jibe went flat. “I just... the way you handled those spirits, and Won Xi Tong. The way you handle everything. Never been to the Spirit World, but you're already an expert. You aren't a bender, but you can take any of them in a fight. Nothing ever gets to you. Nothing ever... ever breaks you.”_

_Asami's affectionate touch became a comforting hold._

“ _I just... I feel like Raava made a mistake. Like you would've made a better Avatar than me.”_

_Asami straightened, grabbing Korra's hands. “That's just not true.”_

_Korra met her gaze. “Why not? I've messed up everything I try to do, even if I eventually got most of it right. You? You never mess up anything.”_

_She raised her hand to Korra's cheek. Korra leaned into it. “I make plenty of mistakes, Korra. I'm just good at covering them. You have the biggest heart in the world, and all the mistakes you make come from trying the be the best person you can.”_

“ _That doesn't mean they aren't mistakes.”_

“ _No, it doesn't.” Asami let out a breath. “Don't judge me, but... you want to know how I would have done as an Avatar?”_

_She nodded, softly._

_Asami licked her lips. “When Unalaq captured Jinora, and threatened to kill her if you didn't open the second portal... I feel terrible even saying this, but I would have let him.”_

_Korra tensed. “Asami...”_

“ _I told you, it's awful. But I know, if I was there, in your place, I would have run the numbers. Cold numbers. I would never do anything to hurt Jinora, you know that, but the choice boiled down to her life against the entire world. Even for my friend, I couldn't take that risk. And I'd still be hating myself for it today.”_

_Korra looked away, but she didn't recoil. “Do you think I made a mistake?”_

“ _Not at all,” Asami answered at once. “That was the calculation I would have made, but it was a false choice. It wasn't one or the other. The path you took narrowed your options, it was a risk, but look what came of it. Look where we are!” She gestured at the valley below, glittering in the breeze. Iridescent spirits flitted around the crystal flowers, cavorting flashes of pink and green and purple. “You've made the world a better place, Korra. At best, I would've made it efficient.”_

_Korra chuckled. “Well, I certainly haven't done that.”_

_Asami smiled, repositioning them so they could look into the valley with their heads resting against each other._

“ _Thank you for making me laugh,” Korra said._

“ _Thank you for coming back,” Asami replied._

“ _You said you weren't worried.”_

“ _Today? I wasn't. That's not what I meant, though.”_

“ _Oh. I... guess I did come back in the nick of time. Kuvira would have taken the city if I hadn't gotten my act together.”_

“ _That's not what I meant either. I missed you.”_

“ _I... I missed you too.”_

_It sounded like she'd thought better of saying something else. Asami didn't pursue it. “C'mon. Let's try to get a little more sleep.”_

_They laid back down, Asami wrapping herself in Korra's arms, where the nightmares couldn't touch her._   
  
  


_Fanart courtesy of[wlwkorrra](https://wlwkorrra.tumblr.com/post/174759558836/wlwkorrra-korra-looked-away-but-she-didnt)_


	10. Chapter 10

 

_Korra stirred with a groan, wiping the sleep-drool from her mouth. Something smelled good. Really good. Great even. She rolled over, and there was Asami, cooking eggs on a tiny camping skillet._

_The Avatar smirked. “Where did you get those?”_

“ _Egg bush,” Asami said, nodding over her shoulder._

“ _Egg bush.”_

“ _Egg bush.” Asami shrugged. “Seriously, there's a bush over there, with eggs growing on it like fruit. I saw a little squirrel thing hop up, place several in a basket, and leave._

“ _Egg bush,” Korra repeated, chuckling as she sat up. “Well, I have to admit, dried fruit and jerky was getting old.”_

“ _There aren't exactly restaurants on every street corner, here. Though I suppose technically there are, as there aren't any street corners. Unless you've been holding out on me.”_

_She raised her hands. “Not at all! Why would I hold out on you?”_

_Asami quirked an eyebrow._

“ _...anymore?” Korra added._

_She seemed satisfied with that, scooping the eggs onto a tin plate, setting chopsticks on the side and passing it over the tiny fire. “Well, enjoy.”_

_The eggs were gone in an instant, barely denting her hunger. Asami smiled, cracking another egg. “How many of those did you... pick?”_

“ _Well... I estimated how many I might eat. Then quadrupled it.”_

“ _Hey!”_

“ _All that muscle needs a lot of energy. Besides, I like to see you eating like you used to. It's almost supernatural. Are you eating for Raava, too?”_

_Korra stuck out her tongue. “I know what this really is. You know the best way to woo a Water Tribe girl is to keep her well-fed.”_

“ _Is that so?” Asami flipped her hair over her shoulder, revealing the long, elegant curves of her neck. “I'll keep that in mind.”_

_Breathing. She needed to do that, right. “Can I just, make a little objection here? We've been walking around for more than a week and you're still ridiculously beautiful. There's no way that's fair.”_

_Asami blushed. “I... may have touched up my makeup a few times.”_

“ _You really don't need to. You looked great after we swam.”_

“ _It ran all over everywhere!”_

“ _And yet you still looked great!”_

“ _Flatterer.”_

_Korra crossed her arms. “You don't believe me.”_

“ _I... believe you mean it. But aesthetically speaking, giant asymmetrical dark splotches aren't a good look.” She handed Korra another scoopful of egg—if she had to cook them one at a time this was going to take forever._

_Korra took her plate, rising as she gulped it down. “Just a second. Had an idea.”_

_Asami watched her go—rather intently. Korra smiled, pretending not to notice the attention, and returned with a big bubble of water from the stream they'd camped beside. She stomped, earthbending the pile of eggs into the air and startling the life out of one Asami Sato. Biting her lip kept her from laughing as she caught the eggs in her water glob._

“ _Korra!” Asami snapped, hand pressed to her chest. “Warn me next time.”_

“ _I was chewing my food,” Korra said, innocently. “One must present good manners if she wishes to spend time with a high society woman.”_

 _Asami leaned back on her arms. “Is_ that _what that was?” Her curiosity toward what Korra was doing quickly drained the annoyance from her voice—she'd have to remember that. She saw where Korra was maneuvering the swirling mass, and laughed. “I never would have thought to boil them without a pot.”_

“ _Who needs fancy kitchen appliances when you have the Avatar around?” Korra waggled her eyebrows._

_Asami rolled over, crawling toward her. “You're a bit of a dork. You know that, right?”_

_Watching Asami approach was doing bad, wonderful things to her concentration. “I'll have you know, I am the epitome of suaveness.”_

“ _Suaveness?” She traced a hand across the back of Korra's neck._

_She shuddered. “I got you over here, didn't I?”_

_Korra wrapped her hands around Asami's face, tackling her into a rolling kiss. Neither of them cared about the broken eggs sloshing around the doused fire._

_Asami wound up on top of her, lengthening the kiss before setting her hands on either side of Korra's head. She leaned back, looking at her, smiling, simply admiring._

“ _You really would have come to the South Pole with me,” Korra said. It wasn't a question. “In a way, you kind of did. The way you spent those weeks with me, helping me dress and eat and... and everything. Kept talking to me, about your day, about what was going on in the city. Then your letters, all those letters. Every single one of them made me feel better—and worse.”_

“ _Worse?” Asami frowned._

 _Korra rolled against Asami's arm, knocking her onto her side so they could cuddle up. “You always said you missed me. You never wrote about adventures or saving the world, you never wrote about Avatar stuff. You wrote like we were talking. And it made me miss you too. Asami...” She turned to face her, tracing her fingers behind Asami's ear, straightening her hair. “You make me feel... I can't think of another way to say it, but you make me feel human. I've always been the Avatar, always been this important... political, powerful_ thing. _With you, it's like I'm just... just a person.”_

_Asami wrapped her arms around Korra's. “You're my favorite person. I'm thinking I've finally made that clear?”_

“ _Yeah,” Korra laughed._

“ _Because I tried subtlety for years and apparently you were impervious to it.”_

“ _Oh, you hit the mark,” Korra said. “I just... didn't realize it for a while. Here, get up.”_

_Asami untangled herself from Korra, watching as she rummaged through her pack._

“ _I may not have packed an entire workshop,” Korra said as she dug. “Or enough food...”_

“ _Or a sleeping bag,” Asami said. “Though that worked out.”_

_Korra smirked, her fingers closing around what she wanted. “But I did bring my good luck charm.”_

_She tossed it at Asami, who caught it midair. “A ring of keys.” She raised her eyebrow. “Okay?”_

_Korra came back, laying down with her head in Asami's lap. “I walked the world for months, running away from... myself. Looking for Raava. Hoping she could put me back together, so I could be whole again. At one point, I was stumbling through the Si Wong desert, and I saw her. Brilliant white against the sky, just over a dune. I rushed up, sand giving way beneath my feet... and she was gone. Maybe a mirage, maybe a vision, maybe I was out of my head, I don't know. But she wasn't there.”_

_Asami stroked her hair. She closed her eyes, feeling the tenderness. Remembering._

“ _I felt beaten. Again. I was on my knees, sobbing, looking for any reason to go on, for something. Anything. Then... I saw something glinting in the sand, lower on the dune. I checked it out, and it was a piece off metal. With a Cabbage Corp logo.”_

_She felt Asami stir. The keys jangled above her._

“ _I looked around the airship wreckage, not sure what I was looking for until I found it. Those keys. The ones you used to save me. Once I found them, I felt... stronger. Like there was something waiting for me, a reason I had to get better, not just for the world. I'm not sure if it was coincidence, or if Raava guided me there, or what, but even though you weren't there, you saved me again.”_

_Something wet dropped against her forehead. “Korra, if you say something sappy about these being the 'keys to your heart,' I swear...”_

_Korra sat up, turning to hold Asami's hands, looping her thumb through the key ring. “C'mon. You love it.”_

_Asami shook her head, lips trembling, pulling the keys—and Korra's hands—to her breast. “Dork.”_

_She leaned forward, pressing her own lips to Asami's trembling smile. “Not that you'd need keys. You could always hot-wire me.”_

_Asami chuckled, kissing back._

“ _Because you're hot...”_

“ _Korra...”_

“ _And you know how to push my buttons...”_

_Asami surged forward, forcing Korra onto her back, hands clawing the ground on either side of her head. “Stop talking.”_

“ _Make me,” Korra challenged._

_Asami accepted._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Korra you dork


	11. Chapter 11

  
( _Fanart courtesy of[crowdraws](https://crowdraws.tumblr.com/)_

 

“ _So, Korra?” Asami asked, as they walked beneath a waterfall that arched upward into the air, casting rainbows in every direction. The physics of it were too bewildering to even speculate about. “Given that this is the Spirit World... any reason we're not encountering that many spirits?”_

“ _Um... huh.” Korra stopped, looking around, frowning. That_ is _pretty weird. I mean, there's some, flying around over there...”_

“ _Sure, there's plenty of the bird and insect style ones. But I mean, intelligent spirits, that you can talk to. We sought out Won Xi Tong, and I encountered those little Asami's when we got separated, but past that?”_

_Korra started to cross her arms, realized they were still holding hands, so let her other hand flop to her side instead. “Hmm. Normally they're kind of all over the place. I'd trip on them.”_

“ _You don't... you don't think they're avoiding me, do you?”_

“ _What? No!”_

“ _Because I'm the only variable that's changed, and if it's normally different—”_

“ _Hey. No. You're great. You found those little guys, remember? They loved you. They're probably building a shrine. A huge statue of you in the middle of the little city you showed them how to build.”_

_Asami smirked. “You saw the statue then.”_

“ _Avatar Korra Park? Please tell me you weren't part of that.”_

“ _I... may have insisted that green space was a critical aspect of any city's infrastructure. For health reasons.”_

“ _Uh-huh. And the statue?”_

 _She sighed, squeezing Korra's hand. “I had to have_ somewhere _I could talk to you. You weren't writing back, you know.”_

_Korra winced. “I... I kinda did though.”_

_Asami straightened. “What?”_

“ _I kind of... maybe... wrote a ton of letters. I just never sent them.”_

_She'd written letters._

_She just never sent them._

“ _You're... you're mad, aren't you.”_

_Asami grit her teeth. “No.”_

“ _You are.”_

“ _I'm trying hard not to be.”_

“ _You're squeezing my hand.”_

“ _I don't want you getting away. I may have to shake you violently.”_

“ _Should I explain?”_

_Asami threw up her free hand. “Yes!”_

_Korra took hold of that hand too, twining their fingers together._

“ _Okay. Well, first of all, my handwriting is terrible.”_

_Asami's eyebrow twitched. “Korra...”_

“ _Alright, alright,” Korra laughed. “I needed some way to put my thoughts down. I started writing back, but I would always get into wallowing about how awful I felt, and you were trying so hard to cheer me up. I was... I was in a_ really _bad place, Asami. I didn't want you to know that. I didn't want_ anyone _to know that.”_

“ _Korra, if I'd have known—”_

“ _You'd have left your company, and come down, and what? You couldn't put my legs back together. You couldn't fix my bending.”_

“ _I could have been_ there _for you.”_

_Korra kissed her hand, and Asami felt her frustration waning. A little. “And that would have made me feel worse, knowing what you were missing. Look, we can go around and around about this. Those three years apart, they happened. We both wish they hadn't. Maybe, if we'd already been together, things could have been different, but...” she sighed, her thumb tracing the back of Asami's fingers. “Let's hope we never have to find out.”_

“ _We_ won't _,” Asami said firmly. “Promise me, Korra. Whatever else happens, don't you ever shut me out again. I don't care if it's for my own good, I don't care how guilty you might feel about it. You_ tell me _.”_

“ _Would you have told me?”_

_Asami blinked._

“ _If you were hurt. If you lost everything, if you didn't feel like yourself. If you didn't feel like you had anything left to live for, and you thought, maybe you shouldn't—”_

“ _Korra!”_

“ _You asked! Asami...” she hung her head down. “You asked. I... didn't think I'd ever get better. I could have lingered for years, or decades. But the world needed an Avatar.”_

_Korra's fingers tightened around Asami's trembling hands._

“ _If you'd been there, I wouldn't have been strong enough to...”_

_Asami gulped. “To what, Korra?”_

_She looked away._

“ _Korra. To_ what? _” Her voice cracked._

_Korra dragged her into a fierce hug. “I don't know if I was too strong or too weak. I thought... if I could never get better, the world was better off without me.”_

_Asami squeezed Korra with all her might, shaking her head. “No, no, no...”_

“ _What if you'd come? What if I was still there, still couldn't walk. What if—”_

“ _Stop!” Asami begged. “Stop, Korra... I... I can't bear to think about that. I... you're not just the Avatar. You're Korra.”_

“ _The world doesn't need just Korra.”_

 _She made fists in Korra's shirt, burying her eyes in her shoulder. “You're all I have,” she whispered. “The world... the world will just have to learn to take care of itself, because you are_ not _making that sacrifice!”_

 _Korra kissed her temple. “I knew you'd say that. And I thought..._ then _, I thought_ then, _that I might have to. See why I never sent those letters?”_

_Asami sniffed. “Korra, you promise me. Promise me right now, you'll never even think like that again.”_

“ _I can't promise how I'll think, Asami.”_

“ _I'd never forgive you.” She shook her head. “Not for that. I don't care why. I don't care about the world, if that's what it takes. I would live the rest of my days and I would never, never forgive you for that.”_

“ _Asami...”_

_She took Korra's shoulders, staring her in the eye. “Promise me!”_

_Korra bit her lip. “I'll never leave you, Asami. Not for anything.”_

_Asami slumped, her breath shuddering. “You realize, after hearing that, I'm never letting go of you again.”_

“ _That... might make a few things rather difficult.”_

_She wrapped her arms around Korra, squeezing her tight. “Right. Because up to now, everything has been so easy.”_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh! Where did the drama come from? More fluff will come, though, worry not.


	12. Chapter 12

“ _Can you describe seismic sense to me?” Asami asked out of the blue as Korra led her up a steep rock face._

“ _What brought this on? Gonna ask me what's inside this mountain, for your notebook?”_

“ _No. I mean, I_ wasn't _, but is there something interesting?”_

_Korra snickered. “Just making fun of you, bookworm. And I guess... it's kind of like, if you're in a dark room, and you can't see, but you put your hand in front of your face and you just kind of know it's there?”_

“ _So, it's like proprioception? But for rocks?”_

_Korra turned to frown at Asami, to see Asami frowning at her. “One of us just stopped making sense, there.”_

_Asami shook her head, raising a hand to flick her hair away from her neck. “Sorry. It's just... I can see bending, see how it works and how to counteract it. But what I don't know is, how do benders perceive the world differently? I've asked Tenzin about how airbending helps him feel the world, and he says it lets him feel movement that he cannot see. Jinora thinks there should be a way to use it to hear over greater distances, too, which makes sense. And you're staring at me.”_

“ _Uh, yeah. Yeah I am. You did that... that hair thing.”_

“ _What hair thing?”_

“ _You know! Where you casually push it off your neck so I can see how kissable it is.”_

_Asami looked at her with lowered eyelids, playing innocent. “Why, Korra, I'm flattered you think of me that way, but I have no idea what you're talking about.”_

_Was that so? Korra looked around, saw a nearby ledge that would suit her purpose. She shrugged her backpack off, for once glad of the sweat that had built up beneath it. “Could you hold my pack for a second? I want to see something up there.” She nodded toward the top of the ledge._

“ _Um, alright,” Asami said, her tone dubious._

“ _Go ahead and keep asking questions though.”_

_Asami leaned against the rock wall. “Alright. Can you sense things coming at you in the air? Like, can an earthbender sense a rock flying at them?”_

_Korra turned her back, stretching her neck side to side, then her arms. “Nope. Seismic sense uses vibrations in the ground. Only way to take Toph down is to launch an attack at her while you're in the air, so she can't feel what move you're making.”_

“ _Okay. What about Tenzin's airbending trick though? Can you...”_

_She reached up, flexing her back muscles and her arms, making a show of loosening up. “Can I what?”_

“ _Um... can you do that? Sense stuff coming at you?”_

_Korra shrugged. “A bit. I've probably dodged a few kicks and punches from it, though I don't really think about how I know what I know when I'm fighting. I just respond to it.” She hopped up, clasping a small handhold with her fingertips._

“ _Is that true for metalbending, too? Do you have to see the metal to buh—”_

_Korra pulled herself up, using only her arms. She allowed herself a grunt as she swung to the side, grasping another hand hold, stretching her arms apart. Her foot found purchase, enough to hold her weight, but she kept her muscles just tense enough to show their tone. “What was that, Asami?”_

“ _I...” she blinked, turning her flushed face away. “Metalbending! Right. Can you metalbend something away from you, without knowing it's coming?”_

_She turned back toward the rock face, foisting herself upwards. “Can't say that I've... ever... tried.” Korra grabbed onto another handhold, took a breath, swung herself wide for momentum, then hurled her other hand up to grab the top of the ledge. Another side-to-side swing, and she was able to hook a foot over and drag herself up, rolling onto her back. “Woo!” she shouted, punching the air. Then she turned toward Asami, and saw her staring._

_Asami saw that she'd been seen. She bit her lower lip. “Okay, I have a problem.”_

“ _What's that?”_

“ _There's too much space between me and a certain gorgeous show-off.”_

_Korra sat up, crossing her legs. “Is that so? You know, I thought I sensed something while I climbed. Couldn't tell you about arrows or flying rocks, but I sure as heck felt your eyes attacking me.”_

_The color on Asami's cheeks turned into a full-grown blush. “Maybe it's a good thing you're up there. If I could reach you, it would be more than my eyes attacking.” She brought a hand to the back of her neck, looked Korra straight in the eye, and flipped her hair, cascading those perfect dark locks mercilessly._

“ _Ack!” Korra feigned a blow to her heart. “Such violence!”_

“ _Clearly self-defense, after you assaulted me with those back muscles.” She fluttered her eyes, smiling up in a less-than-innocent way, and posed to show Korra her profile._

_Korra sat on the ledge, her legs over the side, and whistled. “You've practiced that.”_

“ _Maybe,” she said coyly. “Now, are you coming down here or am I coming to you? Because the kissing attack you're going to get is only getting more violent, the harder you make me work.”_

“ _That's hardly an enticement to come down, now, is it?” Korra lounged back on her arms._

_Asami gave her a nod, then charged the wall. Not quite where Korra had climbed it—there was a corner where two walls met. The engineer leaped at one wall, kicked off toward the other. The angle was bad, sending her arcing more parallel to Korra's ledge than toward it. Korra gasped, sweeping her legs up and back, reaching her arms out. “Asami!”_

_She caught them, with a grunt, clasping Korra's wrists as Korra grasped her in return. Asami looked up, her chest heaving, and smirked. “Now, show me that upper body strength of yours again?”_

“ _That was... on purpose?!”_

“ _Yup. Now either pull me up or I'll pull us both down.”_

_Korra smirked, straining her arms as she shifted herself for leverage and brought Asami onto the ledge on top of her._

_They lay that way for a moment, panting, tangled together, sweating. Korra let her arms rest on Asami's back, loving the weight pressing against her._

_Asami flicked her hair out of both of their faces, then kissed the edge of Korra's lips. “Well. Who do you think won that exchange?”_

“ _You cheated.”_

“ _I did what it took to come out on top.” Asami winked._

_Korra kissed her softly. “So now you have me right where you want me?”_

_Asami glanced at the rocky outcropping. “Honestly, I'd prefer somewhere softer. A mattress, perhaps? In a nice, private room?”_

_They both laughed, but Korra had to keep a wisp of anxiety out of hers. Yes, she'd been trying to get Asami's attention, to turn her on as much as she did Korra, but maybe she did her job too well. The comment only seemed like half a joke. “Well, can't say I've seen anything like that in the Spirit World.”_

“ _Hmm,” Asami said thoughtfully. Mysteriously. She had no other suggestion, but the seed had been planted, and suddenly something Korra had dreamed about seemed terrifyingly possible._

“ _You okay?” Asami asked. She must've felt Korra tense._

“ _Of course,” Korra said quickly. “Just a little sore is all.”_

“ _After all that, seems reasonable. Next time, we'll have to find a more fun way to get us both sore.”_

_Korra laughed._

_She was in trouble._


	13. Chapter 13

__  
(Fanart courtesy of[omnipotanager](http://omnipotanager.tumblr.com/post/174602809370/this-one-was-requested-as-a-gift)  
  
They lay together in a field, their heads side by side but their bodies stretched away from each other. Korra had one arm bent to cradle Asami's head, fingers stroking her shoulder. Asami had slept on beds less comfortable than the grass beneath them—it was one of the most soothing, peaceful moments of her life. 

_Except 'Korra' and 'bed' existing in such close proximity in her thoughts began to send Asami's mind in a decidedly unpeaceful direction._

“ _I wonder why the clouds are pink,” Korra mused. “Like, if it rained, would it be pink water? Or like, fruit punch?”_

_Asami laughed, quirking an eyebrow. “Fruit punch?”_

“ _Don't act like it's impossible, Miss Egg Bush.”_

_Korra's hand crept closer to her face. She nestled her cheek against it and didn't argue. “Well, I hope it's not. That sounds rather sticky.”_

_Korra snickered, rolling herself closer, so their temples touched. “I love the clouds here, and in Republic City. The ones back home, they're wispy or stormy, you never get the big puffy ones that look like shapes. I remember once, Mako and I were out and I saw one that looked like an otter penguin...”_

_She tilted her head to nudge Korra's. “Was that the whole story?”_

“ _No, it's just... the Mako thing.”_

_Asami rolled onto her side, one arm supporting her head. “Mako's a dear friend, but I'm not in love with him. Are you?”_

_Korra shook her head quickly. “We proved pretty firmly that didn't work. And besides... so much has happened since then. I know... a bit more about myself than I did at seventeen.”_

“ _Then there is no Mako thing.” She bent over, kissing her upside-down. The angle was odd, but she also got a close view of Korra's chest while doing it. There were possibilities in that, oh yes. And all around them, flowers bloomed among the grass, almost glowing as she deepened the kiss._

“ _Oh!” Korra said, startling Asami onto her back. “Look!” She pointed skyward._

_There was a cloud right above them that looked exactly like an otter penguin._

“ _Yeah, I see it.” Asami crossed her arms. On the one hand, it was a funny coincidence, and the shape was distinct. On the other hand, she didn't like her kissing being upstaged by a_ cloud _._

“ _Sorry,” Korra said, and Asami turned to see her blushing. “But you have to admit, it's_ definitely _an otter penguin._

_Asami looked at her, at those wide blue eyes, wiser than they'd began but shining again like they once had, and sighed happily. “I can't stay mad when you're being adorable. Let me know if you spot any Satomobiles.”_

“ _Hah, that would be a pretty complicated cloud.”_

_Come to think of it, water and airbenders could manipulate the shapes of clouds. Perhaps she could hire some to create Satomobile clouds, over sporting events? It would make for wonderful, distinct advertisement, not lasting of course but memorable which was far more important in reaching the consumer—_

“ _'sami?”_

“ _Hmm?”_

“ _Hi.”_

_Whoops. “You caught me scheming. Sorry.”_

“ _It's alright. You furrow your brow in the most adorable way...”_

“ _My brow.”_

“ _Yup. Right here.” She kissed Asami's forehead. “That's how I know you're brain has shifted into high gear. That's a car reference.”_

“ _Yeah, I caught that.”_

“ _Just for you.”_

“ _I...” she glanced at the sky, then turned her head. “Korra.”_

“ _Hmm?” The Avatar was staring at her._

_Asami pointed at the sky._

_Directly above them, upside-down from Asami's perspective, was a cloud that was_ clearly _a Satomobile._

“ _Are you doing that on purpose?” Asami asked._

 _Korra shook her head. “No. At least, I don't think so? I wasn't even looking at the clouds, but you put the idea in my head. The Spirit World_ does _react to me. To everybody, really, but especially to the Avatar.”_

“ _So, I can watch the clouds to see what's on your mind?” Asami asked, intentionally furrowing her brow, and touching her chin thoughtfully besides._

“ _Oh, no. No no no, not fair.”_

_Asami snickered. “Why not?”_

“ _What if... what if I'm thinking about things you don't want me thinking about!?”_

“ _That might depend on what sorts of things.”_

“ _Spirits could see!”_

“ _Ah,_ those _sort of things,” Asami purred._

_Korra blushed. “Shut uuup!”_

_Asami swept her arm around them. “It's not like there's actually any spirits around. And I'm pretty sure my clouds would show you the same.”_

_Korra sat up, eyes wide. “There's no spirits around.”_

_She tilted her head back to watch her. “Yeah. We talked about that. You said they're normally all over, but this time they're not.” She'd also said it wasn't Asami's fault, but what else could it be? Maybe she was just too non-spiritual. Maybe she'd been exposed to something in the spirit weapon blast... but no, Korra would have been too—_

“ _It's me. They're not here because of me.”_

_Asami rolled onto her front, crawling beside Korra. “That doesn't make sense. You said you encountered them all over all the times you were here before.”_

“ _Right. But I wasn't here with you, then.”_

 _Well. That was blunt. “So it_ is _me.”_

“ _What? No...” Korra growled at herself, putting an arm around Asami's shoulder to guide into a sitting position, then taking her hand. “It's not you. It's the fact that you're_ with _me. The Spirit World reacts to my presence, often in ways I'm not really aware of. The spirits aren't avoiding us, they're_ leaving us alone _.”_

 _Asami's lips spread in a wide grin. Her cheeks flushed as she nuzzled into Korra's hair. “So, when you said 'just the two of us,' you_ really _meant it.”_

“ _Apparently!” Korra chuckled._

_Asami sucked in her lower lip, looking Korra up and down as she processed. “So, then there would really be nobody to interrupt us if...”_

_Korra coughed. “Interrupt, maybe not, but doesn't mean nobody's watching. A little light spirit found me when I was looking for you, and said as much.”_

_She used her nose to push Korra's hair from her ear, kissing the skin beneath. “Spirits can come and go in our world now too. They're probably watching all the time.”_

“ _That doesn't exactly help,” Korra answered._

_Asami paused. Korra's breathing was heavy, her body was responding... but it was also stiff. “Are you okay?”_

“ _What? Yeah, of course I'm okay! I—”_

 _Asami pressed her fingers to Korra's lips. “Being with you, watching you, it's given me... ideas. Things I'd like to do. Things I'd like_ us _to do.”_

“ _W...what kinds of things...”_

“ _Sex, Korra. Obviously sex.”_

_Korra, surprisingly, didn't blush. She looked down, thinking furiously._

_Asami put a hand on her shoulder, softly. “You don't want to.”_

“ _I_ do _! I just... here doesn't feel...”_

“ _It's okay,” Asami said, laughing kindly. “It's okay, Korra. Really. It's no good if we're not both feeling it. Another time?”_

_Korra nodded enthusiastically._

“ _Good,” Asami said, kissing her fingers. “Now, let's lay back down and...”_

_She saw the clouds._

“ _Oh. Oh my.”_


	14. Chapter 14

_Just when life seemed to be going better than ever, it had a way of smacking the smile right off of Korra's face. Again. Like always._

_After realizing why they'd not seen many spirits, Korra made a point of seeking them out. She wanted to be alone with Asami, sure, but she also wanted everyone and everything to know how happy she was. So she sought some out, and quickly spotted someone walking toward a thin canyon. The spirit was lumbering and fuzzy, like a koala sloth, but bright green._

“ _Hey! Hey!” Korra said, galloping toward it, tugging Asami with her. “Spirit! Do you have a minute?”_

_The spirit stopped, slowly shambling in place to turn around. “Oh. It's...”_

“ _I'm the Avatar! This is Asami!”_

“ _The. Avatar.”_

_Korra's smile grew brittle. Maybe this wasn't the best spirit to strike up a conversation with._

“ _Do you have a name?” Asami asked politely._

“ _Yes,” smiled the creature. “I. Do. It. Is. Trelllllthhh.”_

_Were the letters drawn out because it talked slow, or was that actually part of its name?_

_Asami put a hand on her shoulder, instantly calming her down. “Pleased to meet you. We're curious why you were headed to this canyon.”_

_Trelllllthhh looked up, reaching its arms slowly toward the canyon walls. Then the rocks shifted, and—_

“ _Woah!” she breathed, stepping back to watch it rocket upward. It reached the top, sixty feet above them, in half a minute, swung onto one side, then glacially turned to wave down at them._

_She spun on her heels toward Asami._

“ _Just be careful,” Asami responded before she even spoke, kissing her quickly._

_Korra, licked her lips, stood between them, reaching her hands out so her fingertips touched both sides at once._

_The stone felt normal. She looked at Asami, who had stepped back to watch. “Maybe it doesn't—”_

_Korra was hurled upward, not like she was yanked or thrown, just suddenly she was_ moving _, and_ fast _. Air tore against her hair and clothes, rippling her cheeks. Without thinking, she drew her arms in, readying herself to bend or whatever she might have to do._

_She flew right past the top of the canyon and just kept going._

_That... probably wasn't great. She didn't have her glider, though bending gave her plenty of ways to land safely, once she slowed down._

_Which she didn't seem to be doing._

_Messing with the Spirit World, she totally should have known better. Maybe it was just a... column of up-ness? She punched an air-jet in front of her, and gravity lurched her insides all at once. She was falling, like normal. The ground, so far below, hardly seemed to be moving yet._

_Her heartbeat thundered in her ears. This was something she could handle, she had no reason to be scared, but a jolt of terror shot up her spine. Nothing was coming for her—other than the ground—but she felt like she was being attacked, like something wanted to kill her, like fear and an echo of rage boiled inside her and—_

_Okay. She was having a panic attack. She'd had enough of those in the past three years to recognize them, but the timing now was really bad. That 'Dark Korra' vision was nowhere to be seen, thank the spirits, but she also didn't want to look too hard. She couldn't focus or meditate while plummeting, she had to... had to bend. Take control. All the poison was out of her system, nobody was after her. Take control..._

_Korra flipped her arms up, summoning alternating gusts of wind to buffet her, slowing her descent. It wasn't as controlled as fire jets, but that's what she'd used that day, and it wasn't that day. Get to the ground, fall apart then if you have to, but it isn't three years ago. You're in control..._

_More wind punches to control her angle. The ground was coming quite fast now. She created an air-ball, like she used to race the kids with when they were ostrich horsing around. That's all she was doing, playing. She was safe._

_Her heart raced._

_With a final scream, she crouched, earthbending the ground beneath her into cushioning her fall. Her bones shook—far, far too much like her final landing against Zaheer, though none of them were broken this time. Nothing was broken._

_But she felt mighty cracked._

_Korra fell forward, onto her hands, struggling to catch her breath. Letting herself struggle. She didn't fight it, not like she had before._

“ _Korra!” Asami shouted, rushing up, sliding on her knees the last few feet to be beside her. “Korra, are you okay?”_

“ _Will be,” she managed._

_Asami hugged her head against her chest. Her heart was pounding, too. “Alright. Just tell me anything you need.”_

_Dark—her eyes were closed. Quiet—she made her breath calm._

_Solitude—_

_No. Maybe that's how she'd always tried to manage before, but she wouldn't shut Asami out. That had just hurt them both._

_She clasped Asami's hands, and conversed with herself._

_There was nothing to be panicking about._

_Zaheer wasn't here. Nobody was attacking._

_The only person here was Asami. And she loves you._

_Gradually, the attack subsided. She didn't fight it, so much as weather it. The air felt at once cold on her sweaty skin, and she turned, sitting on the ground beside Asami._

“ _That... happens sometimes,” Korra said, simply. “Sorry if I scared you.”_

“ _You didn't mean to,” Asami said, laying her head on Korra's shoulder. “Tell me about it?”_

_Korra measured her words, trembling a little in the breeze. “Sometimes... it's like that fight never ended. Like I still have the poison in me, still have a crazy airbender trying to end my life. I know it's over, I know I'm safe, but it... echoes.”_

“ _I know what you mean,” Asami breathed._

_She wanted to believe her. She believed Asami meant it. But she'd felt so alone that day, so scared. “I thought my dad was dead. When he held me, and I saw him, I thought... I thought I was too.”_

_Asami squeezed her fingers._

“ _Sometimes, something will just... trigger it. Bring it all back. Most of the time, I can just hide for a few minutes and ride it out. Sometimes, it's worse. If I ever... kinda vanish into myself for a few days, that's probably why.”_

“ _I'll be there.”_

“ _I... I might not want you to be. I might_ need _you not to be.”_

“ _Korra—” Asami warned._

“ _But I promise I'll tell you. I won't run away or shut you out, but sometimes I really need to just... work myself out._

_Asami sighed. “Okay.”_

_They were facing away from the canyon, out over a wide tangle, more like a dry reef than a field. Small spirits flitted in and out of nooks and crevices, going about their lives, oblivious to the women watching from the rise above._

“ _It really is beautiful here,” Korra said, not precisely changing the subject, but not precisely having anything more to say. That day had changed her. She'd always be living with it. But she was building herself again, now, anew. She wasn't going to be defined by what she'd lost._

_She kissed Asami's hand. It was much better to focus on the things she'd gained._

“ _What...” Asami began, halted, started over. “What if that happens during a fight?”_

“ _It... for a long time, it always did. Before I got back, just about every fight I got in, something would trigger this and maybe I'd fight through it and maybe I'd be overwhelmed... but generally I lost. Getting the rest of the poison out helped, Zaheer helping me come to terms with what he'd done, that helped too, but...” Korra took a deep breath. “When Kuvira attacked Republic City, it started, a few times. But I had so many people with me, so many allies on my side, that helped. The worst... when I saw your hummingbird suit...”_

_Her voice cracked. Was this okay?_

_Asami shifted, twisting so she could face her. Their eyes met, and answered her. Yes._

“ _For a few seconds, for one long heartbeat because I swear it stopped, I thought you were still in it. Then, I saw your parachute, I knew it was yours, but I didn't see your dad's, and... and I was determined. Nearly losing you, knowing the loss you felt, and that you wouldn't miraculously wake up with your father holding you, it gave me focus. Resolve. Every part of me was fighting_ today _'s fight. It's like... I finally caught up.”_

_Asami watched her quietly, her fingers stroking Korra's. Thinking, digesting what she'd been told. Probably analyzing it a little. Being stared at and examined so long usually made Korra start to feel weird, but now? Here?_

_This was Asami. There was nothing she wouldn't show her._

_And she wanted to stare back just as much._

_Asami's expressions changed. Concern, tempered with understanding. Sympathy, mingled with respect. Sadness for what had happened, but happiness for being let in, for being here._

“ _Korra, can I tell you something?”_

_She chuckled. “Do you have to ask?”_

_Asami smiled, looking down slightly, then back up, with lidded eyes Korra was starting to read more and more into. “You might have a hard time hearing it. Or believing it, at least. But I really hope you will, I really hope you'll trust my official and reasoned assessment as a world-class engineer who has seen quite a bit of the world in the course of repeatedly helping you save it.”_

“ _Asami, you're the smartest woman in the world. Of course I trust you.”_

“ _Good,” Asami nodded. “Because you are the strongest, and the bravest. You've always had resolve, you've always fought to do the right thing, but seeing you now, knowing everything you've been through... and knowing how much you like to undercut yourself, too. You are_ amazing _, Korra. I've said it before, but I truly mean it. I do.”_

_Korra blushed, looking away._

_Asami touched her chin, drawing her gaze back. “That's not just me, being sweet. That's not just because of how I feel about you. Like I said, official engineer's assessment.”_

“ _Okay,” Korra said. She wanted to believe that too, but—_

_Asami looked at her, her eyes so bright and true and full of her. She looked at Korra, and she saw someone amazing._

_And so,_

_just a little,_

_Korra felt it, too._

“ _You know, Asami, you're pretty great yourself.”_

_She smirked, and flipped her hair from her shoulder. “Oh, I'm aware.”_

_Their laughter danced in the breeze._


	15. Chapter 15

__  
(Courtesy of tinyarmagayddon)  
  
Asami and Korra were walking through a spectral meadow, its flowers shifting color with every ripple of the wind. For just a moment, Asami paused, watching the colors eddy around a stone. Korra kept moving, the petals shimmering in her wake. Asami chuckled, taking several long strides to catch up. 

_Just before she pulled even with Korra, though, Korra sped up, just a little. Asami took advantage of her longer legs, lengthening her stride, but Korra quickened her step._

_The race was on, with laughter at first, but soon that subsided as both of them broke into sprints. Korra had started a step ahead, but Asami's stride and leaner frame let her catch up._

“ _Aah!” Korra growled, then a moment later, sped past—without her backpack._

_Oh, that sneak! Asami shrugged hers off as well, losing distance as she did but quickly regaining the advantage, since she had packed significantly more to begin with._

_Leaving their supplies was probably not the best idea, but... Korra was pulling away!_

_Asami dug her toes into the dirt, unleashing herself as she seldom had to. Her heart pounded, her shins began to cramp, but the look of shock on Korra's face as she galloped past was worth it. Korra furrowed her brow, getting back into the game, but only managed to match Asami's speed._

_Satisfying as that was, Asami knew she was almost out of gas. She could beat Korra in a sprint, but over prolonged distance, the Avatar's stamina would overwhelm her._

_'The Avatar's stamina would overwhelm her.' There's a thought she'd like to explore..._

_She pushed it from her mind. There was a rock up ahead, one of the few landmarks in the wide field, the flowers blue and still where they were protected from the wind. She angled toward it, silently declaring that the end line of their impromptu race, and broke out what she had left._

_So did Korra._

_Asami's legs burned, her lungs screamed as the shadow approached, but slowly, imperceptibly at first, Korra inched ahead of her. With a few strides left to go, Asami gave in, soft-stepping her momentum down, panting heavily._

_Korra blazed into the shadow at top speed, careening into the boulder with only her hands to cushion the impact. “Oof!” She staggered back and flopped down at Asami's feet, blinking dazedly._

_Laughs trickled out between Asami's breaths. When Korra gave her all, she really did tend to focus, didn't she? “Guess... I win... after all,” Asami wheezed._

_Korra gave her a scandalized look. “How do you figure that? I was in front at the end, Miss Science.”_

“ _Yeah,” Asami said, crouching down beside her. “But I'm still standing.”_

_Korra narrowed her eyes. Asami was pretty sure she knew what was coming, but she did nothing to stop it._

_And indeed, Korra kicked herself into a spin, sweeping Asami's legs from under her, laying her out in the flowers beside her._

_She landed well, the flowers cushioning her fall almost as if they'd meant to. Korra rolled onto her side, flopping an arm across her. “Gotcha.”_

“ _Yup,” Asami agreed. “I definitely won.”_

_Korra opened her mouth to retort, but Asami silenced her with a kiss. She accepted it, squeezing her shoulder, both of them still panting heavily from the run._

_The only spirits they'd seen in a while were puffy flying things that whisked along the flower tops, and paid them no mind. On the ground, even with Korra mostly on top of her, the flowers still rose above them, protecting them from view._

_Asami surged against Korra, putting herself atop the woman without interrupting the stream of kissing. Korra was becoming exceedingly skilled at rolling with it._

_Then Asami leaned up enough to begin unfastening her jacket._

_Korra's eyes widened, startled at first, but she moaned into Asami's lips. “Hot from your run?”_

“ _Among other things,” Asami purred, nibbling Korra's chin, hurling her jacket away._

_She shuddered, but looked away, worried. “What if... what if someone sees?”_

“ _Bend us a roof.”_

_Korra bit her lip, nodding, closing her eyes. But she didn't move to do it. He hands clutched Asami's shoulders, dug into her back, her breath hitched and gasped, but she was weirdly passive._

_Asami slowed down, staring into Korra's eyes._

_There was desire there, yes. Nervousness, understandably. She opened her mouth, a word almost escaping, but ending up as a sigh._

_Asami's fingers trailed up Korra's side, languidly, tracing around her breast, up her collarbone, behind Korra's ear. She could see Korra's body respond, felt the pressure against her hand... but her eyes. Big, blue, beautiful... but..._

“ _Korra...” Asami said, reaching for her hand, bringing it to her lips. “You're nervous.”_

_She laughed, quick and manic. “This is... I... This is something you want. I...”_

_She kissed Korra's hand. “Talk to me. It's okay.”_

“ _I just... I want you to be happy.”_

_Asami smiled. “And I want the same for you. But it's like I said before, Korra, if you're not ready for... something, just let me know.”_

“ _But... but you looked so... Spirits Asami you're beautiful, and you_ want _...”_

“ _You.”_

_Korra gave her nervous laugh again. “It's just... there's so much I'm worried about, so much I'm not sure I know how to... and we're in the Spirit World and if I mess something up you're stuck with me and—” She sighed. “I'm a little scared.”_

_Asami wet her lips. “Well. Scared is no way to start. You just... you seem to respond, you feel like you're enjoying it—”_

“ _Oh, I so completely am! Too much...” Korra blushed, and Asami found restraint even harder._

“ _Okay. It sounds like some of this has to do with the Spirit World. Things can get weird here, after all, it might not be the safest place to... experiment.”_

_She blushed harder._

_Asami had to close her eyes. “I don't ever want you to do something you don't want to, something you're not ready for, just to make me happy. It's together or not at all, right?”_

“ _Together,” Korra repeated._

_Asami nodded, rolling onto the ground beside her, their legs and arms still tangled. “All the same, though, Korra, the moment you are ready for something—”_

_Korra laughed. “Those clouds gave you too many ideas.”_

“ _I've been thinking of those things for years!”_

_Korra snorted._

“ _Hey, I said I preferred to wait for you, but that doesn't stop me wanting things.”_

_Korra sighed. “That must be nice. Knowing what you want. I feel like I've spent my whole life figuring it out and I'm barely any closer.”_

_Asami nuzzled their heads together. “You kidding? I think you're just figuring out that you're allowed to want anything to begin with. You put the Avatar first too much. You need to make sure Korra is good, too.”_

_A silence grew between them. Had that been the wrong thing to say? She looked, and Korra was... apart. Staring upward, staring inward. The words had hit home._

_Well, good. That's something Korra needed to know. And now, Asami was in a position to make sure she lived by it._

_After all, what family did she have left?_


	16. Chapter 16

“ _Oh, heck,” Asami muttered to herself, picking her backpack up out of the flowers where she'd dropped it in their race._

“ _Break something?” Korra asked, shrugging her own over her shoulder._

“ _Nothing I can't fix,” she said, waving the detached shoulder strap at her._

_Korra snorted. “Do you mean this problem, or was that a general statement of your awesomeness?”_

_Asami rolled her eyes, digging in her backpack. Korra took a few steps away, then earthbent a platform for her to work on._

“ _Oh. Thanks!” Asami said cheerfully, setting her pack on it, then leaning over to dig around inside._

“ _Don't mention it,” Korra said, staring at Asami's backside and loving every minute of it. Ever since she'd noticed it in the desert, those years ago, she'd found the sight strangely captivating. She wished that she'd realized why, back then._

_Asami had out her rope, and appeared to be measuring it against her chest._

_Korra blinked. “Hey, 'sami? What do you need rope for?”_

“ _For making a new strap,” she said, distractedly. “I'll have to cut a couple of holes in the bag, which will ruin it for being water tight, but since it never rains around you, here, that should be fine.”_

“ _Um. Okay sure, I guess that works, but why don't you just sew the strap back on?”_

“ _I... well I didn't bring a sewing machine.”_

“ _Sewing... machine.”_

“ _Kit. I meant kit.”_

“ _You meant machine.”_

 _Asami blushed, pushing a stray strand behind her ear. “Okay maybe. I_ am _a trifle fond of machines.”_

_Korra snorted. “Sure, but I'm not sure that's something you'd use a sewing machine for, anyway. How could you not have brought a sewing kit?” She sat her own backpack down, and started rummaging blindly. She quickly found the little box near the bottom. “Here, use mine.”_

_Asami caught it. She blinked at it. Twice. “Right. Thanks. That's what I'll do then.”_

_Korra crossed her arms, mouth stuck between smiling and speaking. “You don't know how to sew, do you?”_

“ _Well, it's not like my dad taught me. And my mom...”_

_Korra waited, to make sure the topic didn't cause any sadness. It didn't seem to—that had been more a statement than a lament. “Still. Your Ms. Fix-it! You can weld and wrench and screw anything in the world!”_

“ _I can screw—”_

“ _Yeah I know I realized it after I said it.”_

 _Asami laughed. “You're right, though. Wait, you're telling me you_ can _?”_

“ _Pff,” Korra said, waving her incredulity away. “Yeah. It's kind of a big Water Tribe thing, being able to make and mend your own clothes. Heck, I've patched this outfit like a million times.”_

_The other woman leaned back against the work platform, hands resting on top of it. She seemed legitimately impressed. “Huh. I never would have guessed. Another reason we work so well together, though: anything I can't fix, you can.”_

_Korra chuckled. “We are the best team, no doubt. But how is that so surprising? My clothes get torn up like, all the time.”_

“ _I've noticed,” Asami said, biting her lip. “Sometimes I've even enjoyed it. But I don't know, I guess I just never figured...”_

_Korra crossed her arms, shifting her weight to the other leg. “Figured what?”_

“ _I... huh. Guess I never thought about it. Maybe that you got it tailored or something?”_

_Korra snorted. “Dad would disown me. Maybe a fancy dress, I might get that fixed professionally, but it's not like I wear those often, much less to fights.”_

“ _You_ could _stand to dress up a little more,” Asami said._

“ _Yeah?” Korra asked, deciding to join her at the table if she wasn't going to be distracted enough to safely ogle._

“ _Yeah,” she said firmly. “I'm used to being the girl in the room getting all the attention, but you turn more heads than I do.”_

“ _Oh! You are_ such _a liar, Miss Sato!”_

“ _Not at all!” she insisted. “You sure as heck turned mine.”_

“ _I... um.” Korra swallowed. “Well I'm glad to hear that. But I've seen the band lose track of its song when you walk by. If anyone notices me, it's just 'cuz I'm the Avatar.”_

 _Asami sighed, covering Korra's hand in hers. “Maybe you don't believe it, but... Korra, you're_ gorgeous _. Your eyes are just so big and blue and beautiful, your whole face lights up when you smile, and your skin! How can you have grown up in such a dry, freezing climate and fought the way you do and still have smooth skin like that?”_

“ _Your skin is_ way _smoother. It's like silk!”_

“ _Yeah, and I have a whole routine to keep it that way!” Asami said, one hand on her hip. “_ You _just roll out of bed and shake the sleep out of your hair and you're magnetic.”_

“ _You look pretty great in the mornings yourself,” Korra said. “Your 'routines' just make you, I dunno,_ extra _gorgeous. And like, okay fine maybe I look alright. But you! You could step right onto a mover set and take over for any actress there. I mean, your hair is clearly a gift from the spirits to prove to the world that true beauty exists, and your neck and jawline are just so graceful and your legs—”_

“ _Well, you have so much better curves than I do!” Asami countered. “Heck, there's times I feel pretty scrawny, but somehow you are all deliciously defined muscle without a shred of fat on you and you still... you still have...”_

_Korra crossed her arms. “Are you referring to the bust I need to bind down so I don't injure myself when I'm fighting?”_

“ _Yes. I am.” Asami pouted, blushed, and looked away._

_Korra snickered._

“ _Hey, maybe they're an inconvenience to you, but I've... um. Well I've thought more about them than I care to admit.” Her cheeks were still colored, but she definitely wasn't looking away now._

_Okay, so this was veering somewhere that she very much wanted to explore and was very much afraid to. “Tell you what. Next time we go to a gala or something, we'll just have to count who gets more glances.”_

“ _That might be difficult,” Asami said. “Next time we go to a gala, I intend to be on your arm. There's no way two smashing ladies like ourselves won't turn every head in the place!”_

“ _Good point,” Korra sighed, her hands finding themselves on Asami's waist. “And I'll be too distracted looking at you to notice who's looking at either of us.”_

“ _You have that problem too?” Asami asked._

_Korra breathed. It was... it was great knowing that Asami thought that way about her. But there was no way she was even in the same league as the most beautiful woman in the world._

“ _So...” Asami said. “Would you mind fixing my backpack for me?”_

_She snorted. “Asami, of course—”_

“After _we spend some time thoroughly examining all those beautiful things about each other? Within limits, of course.”_

_Gulp. Asami's promise, to let her set their pace, still hung in her mind. But this conversation had her pretty wound up. “That... THAT sounds like a plan.”_

_Asami leaned in against her, kissed her onto the table, and with a free hand, swept their packs right back onto the ground._


	17. Chapter 17

_Neither of them had said anything. Neither had commented on their waning food supply, the sandpapery feel their clothes were beginning to take on. Neither of them mentioned everything that still needed to be done, back home._

_But, quietly, mutually, it was decided._

_It was time to start back._

_They held hands, retracing their steps—though Asami's adventure with the little flower guys made taking the same path impossible. Korra knew she should probably be worried about that. Asami had probably thought of it days ago. Just..._

_This had been the best time of her life. Exploring the terrifying depth of her love and regard for this woman, feeling the warm embrace of somebody who loved Korra for Korra, not because she was supposed to, not because she was the Avatar. Because in spite of everything Korra did wrong, in spite of coming between her and her father and stealing her boyfriend and leaving her for years... Asami Sato loved her._

_It was still difficult for Korra to accept._

“ _Thank you for suggesting this,” Asami said, twisting Korra's hand in hers. She was thinking along the same lines, it seemed. “This has been... it's like a dream.”_

“ _I'm not sure I want to wake up.”_

_Asami rolled her eyes. “I... don't always have good dreams. There's always so much to be anxious about, so much I've... lost. This last week or so, this... this. Us. I don't want to lose that. I've wanted this for years, and spirits just saying this sounds like I'm rushing you, forget I—”_

“ _Hey,” Korra said, stopping, pushing Asami's hair behind her ear, staring into her eyes. “It's okay. You can tell me anything, Asami. I want you to.”_

_Asami bit her lip. “I... I'll try.”_

_Korra considered that a moment. As eager as Asami clearly was, there were also things she hesitated about. Areas where she was sensitive. Still. “You'll try?”_

_Those green eyes winced. “Sorry. I mean... Korra it's hard. I've been alone for so long. I've had to deal with_ everything _by myself. Most people my age are finishing their education, or looking for an apartment, or...” She shrugged. “Me? I'm running a multinational company and moonlighting as a member of the Avatar's entourage. I may_ make _it look easy, but that's because, if I looked weak, if I faltered for just a minute...” She snapped her fingers._

 _Korra pulled her into a hug. “That's why I want to be there for you. I mean, I can't give you business advice, but I can be_ there _.”_

“ _And I want that,” Asami whispered. “I do. I just... I've never had it. I don't know how. I've learned... I've learned over the years to be careful. Oh so careful. You can't take back a punch once thrown, and you can't take back a word, once said.”_

_How could she respond to that?_

_Just to make things more confusing, Asami chuckled. “I spent... I spent so long, wanting to be part of your life. Somehow, I never considered the fact that I'd have to let you into mine.”_

_Korra pulled away, enough to see Asami's eyes. “Do you want that?”_

_Asami nodded at once. “In every way I can. That just... doesn't mean I know precisely how to do that. And honestly...”_

_Her eyes began to waver away. Korra shifted to stay in front of them. “Honestly?”_

_Asami took a deep breath. “Honestly, I'm scared. Everyone... everyone always leaves me. Even when they come back, it's just so I can lose them again. You're not... Korra, if we... the way I feel about you... I_ can't. _I want to let you in, I want to so much, but I'm afraid... if I lose you too...” she slumped. “...I won't have anything left.”_

_Korra put an arm around Asami's shoulder, guiding them to the ground and wrapping herself around the taller woman. “You've never told anyone that, have you?”_

_She shook her head. Of course not. Who would she have told?_

“ _It's not... It's not that I don't want to do this. I need this. If I ran away from it, I might as well run straight in front of a Satomobile because I'd spend the rest of my life regretting it. But... how can you make me feel so strong but so weak at the same time?”_

_Korra pressed the side of her head against Asami's, her arm curled around to run the backs of her fingers on Asami's neck. “All these years I thought, I was this wreck who didn't deserve to be happy, that it would have been cruel to inflict myself on somebody else. But even the unstoppable Asami Sato gets scared.”_

“ _Of course I do,” she murmured. “It means I'm paying attention.”_

_She kissed Asami's cheek. “You know I'll always be there for you, right?”_

“ _But what if... what if we don't work?”_

“ _What if we_ do _?”_

_Asami chuckled, squeezing Korra's thigh. “I suppose... a savvy businesswoman knows when the potential reward outweighs the risk.”_

_Korra breathed into Asami's hair, closing her eyes. “You're amazing, Asami Sato. And you make me believe that I am too. This'll be a big change for both of us. But we'll figure it out together, right?”_

“ _If you can't fix it, I can?” Asami asked._

“ _What, are you trying to make that our slogan?”_

_She snickered._

_Korra smirked. “Well, it's true enough though. And that'll go for both of us. You were there for me when I was broken.”_

“ _I... sort of,” Asami said. “Korra, I was there for_ me. _”_

“ _I get that,” Korra said. “Which is why, if you're ever down, if you're ever hurt, I'll be there. Because_ I _need to be.”_

_Asami took both of her hands, eyes trembling. “This... this is really going to work, isn't it?”_

_Korra grinned, feeling a lump in her own throat. “I've never been more sure.”_


	18. Chapter 18

“ _So, Korra. Question.”_

“ _Ask away.”_

“ _Are you planning another Spirit World vacation sometime?”_

“ _That... if you want, sure. This has been great. But why?”_

“ _Oh, nothing, I guess. It's just, I'm surprised we haven't gone to see the Tree of Time. It might be easier to get to from the polar portals but... hey, are you okay?”_

“ _What? Of course.”_

“ _Don't 'of course' me. Did you not want to take me there?”_

“ _It's not... Asami, I'll take you anywhere you want.”_

“ _HmMMmm.”_

“ _Not like that!”_

“ _I'm playing you dork. Mostly. But what is it then?”_

“ _It... okay, obviously Zaheer did a number on me. But just a few months before that, fighting Unalaq, nearly losing Raava, having all the previous Avatars ripped away... Sometimes I can accept what happened as a victory, but the cost and the loss were so high. I've only been there once since, and I was desperate, and I came away disappointed. So, yeah, it isn't a place I have many happy associations with.”_

“ _I... see. And I understand. After... A few days before we left, I had an idea. A proposal. Baatar Jr. is going to be in prison for some time. He'll be the first to admit he deserves to be there. Yet, he is an incredibly educated, talented man, and to see his abilities go to waste seemed criminal. So I ran it by President Raiko, and got permission to ask Bataar to consult for Future Industries, while serving out his sentence. It will at least give him something to do. Only...”_

“ _Only?”_

“ _Only... I couldn't bear to go. He's in the same prison my father was in. I would have to meet him in the same visitation room where we played Pai Sho. Where I began to forgive him. How can I... I couldn't go back there. Not yet.”_

“ _If... if you still need to do that, once everything settles down, I could go with you. I mean, if you want. If it would help.”_

“ _I... thank you. I'll think about it.”_

“ _And I guess... maybe the Tree of Time wouldn't be so bad, if you were there. I mean, I was able to face Zaheer again, alone, and if you really want to go—”_

“ _Korra, it's okay. I don't care where we go. I just enjoy spending the time with you. I was curious, is all, since that battle wound up changing the world and all. I love getting to know more about you, and like you said, that was an important fight. Another one I was useless in...”_

“ _You weren't useless! You saved my dad!”_

“ _Your dad is a pretty sturdy guy, Korra. Tell me, if I'd been the one injured, would you have sent Tonraq to make sure I was safe? With everything that was on the line?”_

“ _I... I mean I don't know...”_

“ _I'm not mad, Korra. All I could have done then was gotten myself killed. Instead, I got your father to Katara, and I got to be there when Jinora woke up and let us know you saved the world. I got back to Republic City and I hear all these stories of you, as big as Aang's statue, doing battle for the fate of the world with a force of primal chaos... and I had no part to play in it.”_

“ _You don't sound okay with that.”_

“ _I'm not, I guess. I just... I hate feeling useless.”_

“ _Yeah, I can understand that.”_

“ _Can you?”_

“ _Asami—”_

“ _No, Korra... Look, I'm never going to be anything more than amazed by how much hurt and trauma you survived. You're my hero and you always will be. But you're also a bender._ The _bender. Even when you lost your stuff, you knew what you could have done, you understood what you'd lost. I've never even had that.”_

“ _Wait, wait. You seriously think I don't understand what it's like to feel useless? After Amon took my bending? After having Raava ripped out of me? After you had to spend weeks pushing me around in a_ chair _?”_

“ _That's not what I meant—”_

“ _I_ envied _you. I envied anyone who could walk by herself, change her own clothes, use the damned bathroom without help. I got back on my feet and I got my bending back a little at a time but all I heard about was all the problems the world was having, and how much everybody I knew kept saying, just gently saying, no Korra, it's okay, the world doesn't need you. You're not strong enough.”_

“ _The world did need you!”_

“ _And I couldn't be there for it!”_

“ _I... Korra I'm sorry. I don't want to fight!”_

“ _You think I do?! This is awful!”_

“ _Agreed! I... I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have said that.”_

“ _Why not? You thought it.”_

“ _Maybe I didn't think it through. Korra...”_

“ _You think everything through.”_

“ _Doesn't mean I'm always right. You've lost so much, but you always found the strength to build yourself back up, become even stronger than before. I don't think I have that. No matter how hard I train or how hard I try, there will always be fights where I'm just... baggage. Where I'm still just the little girl at the top of the stairs.”_

“ _Asami... you're not, though. Or maybe... okay let_ me _think this through before I say it.”_

“ _Heh, sure.”_

“ _You... okay. I'm the Avatar.”_

“ _Wait, since when? Nobody ever tells me anything!”_

“ _Asami...”_

“ _Alright, alright.”_

“ _I have all this power, all this expectation... I fight hard to deserve it, but it comes naturally. You... everything you've done,_ you've _done. Your big old brain and your big old heart, neither know when to quit. And maybe, maybe that little girl at the top of the stairs is part of it. Maybe going through what she did, awful as it was, gives you that drive to keep pushing and succeeding and being the best at everything. That doesn't make your pain any less, but it's made you exceptional. Sure, you can't bend, but none of us benders could get inside that colossus without your brains. Maybe you didn't fight during Harmonic Convergence, but you're the one that flew us all there.”_

“ _I guess.”_

“ _And... hey you're the one that made me mad and now I'm comforting you? How's that work?”_

“ _Because you're sweet and empathic enough to forgive me?”_

“ _Hmmm... that is flattering. And agreeing with it will likely lead to kisses.”_

“ _Very likely.”_

“ _Well. Okay. Let's not fight again any time soon, though, okay?”_

“ _I'll see what I can do.”_


	19. Chapter 19

__  
  
Fanart courtesy of[artsyatlas](https://artsyatlas.tumblr.com/post/174815707902/another-korrasami-pic-for-threehoursfromtroy)

 

 __  
  
Korra drifted into wakefulness—well most of her. Her arm, pinned beneath Asami, was still asleep. But that was fine.

_She looked down at Asami's still face, gently tracing the hair from her eyes. Asami breathed quietly, still, asleep. Still, beautiful. For months, maybe for years now, she'd woken up, and Asami Sato was the first thing on her mind. Now, she woke up, and Asami Sato was already in her arms._

_She had no idea how long they'd been there. More than a few days, less than a month. It felt like a blink. It felt like forever. It felt right._

_But now, they were on their way back home. The Republic City portal was just beyond the horizon—they'd arrive home tomorrow. What would happen then? They'd said so much, but there was still so much she didn't know. So much she wasn't sure about. Where were they going? What were they going to do? What_ were _they? They'd said so much, but they hadn't... were they dating? They had to be, right? I mean, what else could this be?_

_(She's stuck with you right now. She's just being nice. She'll never claim you publicly, nobody would—)_

_(That's ridiculous.)_

_Korra took a deep breath, pushing the anxiety aside. This was Asami. Maybe they hadn't said specific words or discussed what their relationship was, but she'd never do anything to hurt her. Not Asami._

_She felt herself grinning, warm. She'd never felt so attached to another person before, so completely immersed in them. Not with her parents, not with Mako. Even when she'd communed with Aang, her own past life, she hadn't felt so in-sync._

_She was in love, achingly in love with Asami Sato._

_It wasn't a new realization, not really. She may have taken embarrassingly long to recognize her feelings for what they were, to put a name to the longing, but now that she had... now that she held Asami in her arms, not just in passing, not just as friends..._

_She'd never dreamed much beyond this point. The mere thought that maybe, Asami felt the same way, that Asami hadn't moved on, that Korra's body and spirit would ever have healed enough to return to Republic City, to be part of Asami's life, that she'd deserve to be a part of her life after leaving so long..._

_In all the stories she'd ever heard where the hero got her greatest wish, never did they ask 'what then?' Falling in love and running away together, it felt wonderful, but... now what?_

_(Now it all goes wrong. Maybe not right away, but something will happen. Something always happens to ruin it all. Usually it's your fault.)_

_(Other peoples' actions aren't my fault. My job is to try, not to be perfect. Asami is the perfect one. She'll make it easier.)_

_They'd figure that out together. Of course they would! Asami was the smartest person in the world, and Korra was the Avatar, once again. They_ would _make this work._

_Korra sighed, her finger tracing the curve of Asami's ear, light as the breeze. So many things that seemed so certain in Korra's life had been upended. So much she'd been told, been led to expect, wound up wrong._

_Think like Asami for a minute. Be logical about it. What was it she_ did _know?_

_Well._

_She loved Asami Sato._

_Somehow, Asami liked her back._

_(Don't question it, trust it. Trust her.)_

_(...okay.)_

_The world would keep throwing crap at them. But they'd be there for each other._

_Avatars had found love before. They had made it work. Korra deserved to be happy._

_(Why? You're weak, and you break everything.)_

_No._

_(no.)_

_Korra took a deep breath, inhaling through Asami's hair. Her floral shampoos had long since worn away, leaving only the subtle—though, admittedly, increasing—scent of Asami herself._

_Asami Sato was the most brilliant, talented, wonderful woman in the world._

_And she loved Korra._

_Not the Avatar._

_Korra._

_(She barely knows you. You've been gone so long. She trusted her father, why is thinking you're great any better?)_

_(She wasn't totally wrong about her father. He had good in him, deep down. She brought it back out in him.)_

_(You want her to fix you!)_

_(No.)_

_No._

_She'd fixed herself._

_Korra closed her eyes, remembering a moment, weeks ago. A quiet moment. Asami, and tea. 'You're amazing,' Asami had told her._

_She'd spent years telling that to herself, only to be proven wrong again and again._

_Asami shifted, a tiny moan in her throat as she rolled over, wrapping an arm around her._

_(You are weak and you will fail.)_

_She'd spent years, now, telling herself this new lesson._

_Watching Asami sleep, feeling her skin against hers..._

_Korra smiled. (I'm strong enough.)_

_There, in the Spirit World, with the woman she loved in her arms, Korra believed it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> March of Progress continues, but this is the final chapter of Found and Finding. 
> 
> Again, this lovely fluff collection was presented as flashbacks in March of Progress, but I knew some people like just-the-fluff, so I decided to make them separately available. But, the arc of their vacation has ran it's course, and March of Progress begins with our smitten couple stepping out of the Spirit World, arm-in-arm. 
> 
> Thank all of you for reading; those of you who love the fluff, check out my various entries for Korrasami Week and Month, there is an astonishing amount of fluff to be had. Or, of course, check out the parent fic to this, which has quite a bit of fluff as well, plus, ya know, actual plot ;). Either way, there's plenty left for you all to enjoy! 
> 
> Thanks Again!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy these cuties as much as I enjoy writing them. :)
> 
> If you want more of these two, have a look at the main story, March of Progress. There's a ton of cute fluff interspersed throughout, but it's quite a bit more of a ride than just this!


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